Photo: Rebecca McMillan Photography
ICU specialist Professor Paul Young says it's time to rethink the well-established use of saline intravenous fluids for critically ill patients in hospital.
He says extensive research shows an alternative therapy, called balanced crystalloids, saves more lives than saline.
Saline has been widely used in medicine for the last 200 years, but has not undergone the rigorous testing applied to new drugs.
ICU and emergency doctors have long debated the relative benefits of saline versus balanced crystalloids; a salt-based solution with an electrolyte composition that mimics plasma.
Professor Young says the results of new research by the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand is the final piece of the puzzle, and when combined with data from other clinical trials, shows that for acutely unwell patients, using balanced crystalloids rather than saline, saves lives.
The results of the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, is expected change clinical practice in intensive care settings worldwide.
Kathryn speaks with Professor Paul Young, who is the deputy director at the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand and the leader of the study.
