OBJECTIVETo study the changes in plasma sodium level and blood erythrocyte after resuscitation with different fluid regimes at early postburn stage.

METHODSOne hundred and fifty burn patients admitted to our burn ward were randomly divided into three groups based on the different regimes of fluid resuscitation, i.e. A (n = 50, resuscitation with balanced salt solution for to the patients with middle and small burn area, Na(+) = 130 mmol/L); B (n = 50, with the same regime as in group A for those with large burn area), and C (n = 50, with hypertonic saline resuscitation for those with large burn area, Na(+) = 174 mmol/L) groups. The fluid supplementation, and changes in plasma sodium level and blood erythrocyte count, and the mean corpuscular volume (MCV) were observed during 1st to 3rd post burn day (PBD).

RESULTSThe average volume of fluid supplementation in C group was lower than that in A and B groups (P < 0.01), though the average sodium supplementation in C group was higher than that in B group within 3 PBDs (P < 0.01). The average plasma level of sodium in B group was obviously lower than that in C group within 3 PBDs (P < 0.05). Negative correlation between the plasma sodium level and burn index (BI) was observed in A and B group on 1 PBD (r = -0.84, P < 0.01). The plasma sodium level was in the lower margin of normal range (137.4 +/- 3.9) mmol/L in B group, while that in C group was in the higher margin of normal range with obvious difference compared with B and C groups (P < 0.05 or 0.01). The MCV in group was lower than that in B group on the 1st and 2nd PBD, i.e. (92.1 +/- 4.5) fl vs (95.5 +/- 5.5) fl on the 1st PBD, and (90.9 +/- 5.4) fl vs (93.2 +/- 6.4) fl on the 2nd PBD, P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe plasma sodium level was stable with milder degree of swelling of the erythrocytes when hypertonic saline resuscitation was given to patients with large burn area during early postburn stage.