Overview
Researchers at the University of Washington based at Harborview Medical Center, as part of the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium, will be testing a concentrated form of intravenous saline with and without dextran (a sugar solution) to improve the outcomes and quality of life for victims of trauma.
Hypertonic saline with dextran (HSD) or without (HS) has been tested in smaller studies in the U.S. and has shown an improved survival, but the numbers were too small to make HSD a standard of care in the trauma population. HSD is approved for use in 14 European countries.
HSD/HS is more concentrated than standard treatment and may offer potential benefits including more rapid improvement of blood pressure, improved blood flow to the brain while at the same time decreasing pressure in the injured brain. HSD/HS may also alter the immune system response, which may decrease the risk of infection and acute respiratory distress syndrome.
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Research
Eileen M. Bulger, MD, associate professor of surgery at the University of Washington is a trauma surgeon at Harborview Medical Center. She has given the following community presentation in the King County Area.
Download Slide Presentation
(Microsoft PowerPoint 471K)
Six months and one year after the trauma patients identified as having a head injury have left the hospital there will be a follow up questionnaire.
Download the Questionnaire
(Microsoft Word 49K)
Telephone questionnaire
(Microsoft Word 195K)