The Effectiveness of a Military Pre-Hospital Fluid Infusion Strategy

Abstract

We performed a study to assess the effectiveness of a fluid infusion strategy currently used in the military pre-hospital environment using the patient's own body weight as an infusion device. Thirteen healthy volunteers were cannulated and 0.9% sodium chloride infused over a period of ten minutes. The volumes infused were measured and flow rates derived. A mean flow rate of 40 ml per minute was seen through an 18 g cannula. This strategy generates reasonable flow rates, but whether this is sufficient to the clinical aim of fluid resuscitation in pre-hospital settings is unknown.

Using Body Weight as a Pre-Hospital Fluid Infusion Device: The Relationship Between Under-Body Position and Flow Rate JL

“…In the field suspending intravenous (IV) crystalloids above the patient to establish an infusion using gravity, may not always be achievable [1,2]. The patient's own body weight may be used as an infusion device and this technique has been proposed as a military pre-hospital fluid infusion strategy.…”

“…A recent investigation using sacral compression to infuse fluid produced relatively low (40 ml/min) mean flow rates and demonstrated a poor correlation between flow and bodyweight [2].…”