The Effectiveness of a Military Pre-Hospital Fluid Infusion Strategy

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 40ml per minute was seen through an 18g 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.