Hypertonic Resuscitation May Help Victims of Blunt Trauma Brain Injury

Hypertonic resuscitation — a concentrated intravenous (IV) dose of saline and dextran, a sugar solution — has the potential to help survivors of blunt trauma by improving blood flow and delivery of oxygen to the injured brain while decreasing high pressure in the brain, a common problem for patients with brain injury.
Trauma care begins in the field, with paramedics and flight nurses providing airway management, spinal immobilization and IV fluids. Given to help replace lost blood and support blood flow to vital organs, IV fluids are especially important for trauma patients who have suffered brain injuries. Current pre-hospital treatment includes two liters of an IV saline solution having a similar concentration to human plasma.
The experimental hypertonic saline/dextran (HSD) solution is more concentrated than the current treatment and may offer potential benefits to victims of blunt trauma, Bulger says, including more rapid improvement of blood pressure, improved blood flow to the injured brain while decreasing the high pressure in the brain, and an altered immune system response which may decrease the risk of infection and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

The Shigley Law Firm represents plaintiffs in wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases statewide in Georgia, and in other states subject to the multijurisdictional practice and pro hac vice rules in each state. Ken Shigley was designated as a “SuperLawyer” in Atlanta Magazine and one of the “Legal Elite” in Georgia Trend Magazine. He is a Certified Civil Trial Advocate of the National Board of Trial Advocacy, Chair of the Southeastern Motor Carrier Liability Institute and former chair of the Georgia Insurance Law Institute. He particularly focuses on cases arising from truck wrecks and accidents (tractor trailers truck wrecks, semi truck wrecks,18 wheeler truck wrecks, big rig truck wrecks, log truck wrecks, dump truck wrecks).