Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Jan 1999
Meta Analysis Comparative StudyCrystalloids vs. colloids in fluid resuscitation: a systematic review.
To systematically review the effects of isotonic crystalloids compared with colloids in fluid resuscitation. ⋯ Overall, there is no apparent difference in pulmonary edema, mortality, or length of stay between isotonic crystalloid and colloid resuscitation. Crystalloid resuscitation is associated with a lower mortality in trauma patients. Methodologic limitations preclude any evidence-based clinical recommendations. Larger well-designed randomized trials are needed to achieve sufficient power to detect potentially small differences in treatment effects if they truly exist.