J Trauma
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Hypertonic saline resuscitation of patients with head injury: a prospective, randomized clinical trial.
Experimental and clinical work has suggested that hypertonic saline (HTS) would be better than lactated Ringer's solution (LRS) for the resuscitation of patients with head injuries. No clinical study has examined the effect of HTS infusion on intracranial pressure (ICP) and outcome in patients with head injuries. We hypothesized that HTS infusion would result in a lower ICP and fewer medical interventions to lower ICP compared with LRS. ⋯ As a group, HTS patients had more severe head injuries. HTS and LRS used with other therapies effectively controlled the ICP. The widely held conviction that sodium administration will lead to a sustained increase in ICP is not supported by this work.