Perioperative fluid therapy management is transforming due to the introduction of different fluids, surgical techniques, and minimally invasive monitoring systems. A recent study explored fluid therapy management during the perioperative period in our country.

This Fluid Day study included adult patients undergoing general anesthesia for elective or non-elective surgery. It recorded their Demographic variables, the type and total volume of fluid administered during the perioperative period, and the monitorization used. 

The observations of the study were as follows-

• The study enrolled 7291 patients and included 6314 in the analysis.
• 24.4% of patients underwent high-risk surgery, 23. 7% were high-risk patients, and 8.7% were high-risk patients who underwent high-risk surgery.
• 98% of the patients received crystalloids (80% balanced solutions); 7.51% received intraoperative colloids.
• It found the hourly intraoperative volume in mL/kg/h and the median administered volume (mL/kg), respectively, as-

O    6.67 ml/Kg/h and 13.9 ml/Kg in low-risk patients undergoing low- or intermediate-risk surgery, 

O    6ml/Kg/h and 15.7ml/Kg in high-risk patients undergoing low or intermediate-risk surgery, 

O    6.41 ml/Kg/h and 20.2 ml/Kg in low-risk patients undergoing high-risk surgery, 

O    5.46 ml/Kg/h and 22.7 ml/Kg in high-risk patients undergoing high-risk surgery. 

• The investigators used advanced fluid monitoring strategies in 5% of patients in the intraoperative period and in 10% of the patients in the postoperative period.

This study shows that the most widely used fluid was balanced crystalloids, while a small number of patients received Colloids. Hourly surgery volume was more restrictive in high-risk patients but confirmed a high degree of variation in the perioperatively administered volume. It found rare monitoring of the Fluid therapy management.

Colomina MJ, Ripollés-Melchor J, Guilabert P, Jover JL, Basora M, Cassinello C, Ferrandis R, Llau JV, Peñafiel J. Observational study on fluid therapy management in surgical adult patients. BMC Anesthesiol. 2021 Dec 13;21(1):316. doi: 10.1186/s12871-021-01518-z. PMID: 34903176; PMCID: PMC8667365.