The Benefit of Fluid Administration in a Brain Trauma

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) presents a challenge to doctors. Most brain injuries have accompanying intracranial pressure (ICP), so diuretics are often used to reduce the fluid in the body to relieve pressure on the brain. It is important to balance removing fluid with keeping the patient hydrated.

Benefits

• Proper fluid levels will keep the patient from experiencing hypotension---low blood pressure---that can cause serious side effects, like cardiac arrest.

Misconceptions

• The previous treatment of standard to keep patients with TBI dehydrated has been discarded. Doctors now recognize the importance of maintaining proper fluid balance to prevent multiple organ failure and that can lead to death.

Types

• The type of fluid used to rehydrate the patient is important and can affect the outcome. A study in Nutrition in Clinical Practice confirmed hypertonic saline solution encourages fluid trapped in brain cells to move through the blood-brain barrier, where the excess fluid is absorbed by the body and transported out through usual waste methods.

Exception

• In the case of TBI that has degraded the blood-brain barrier, hypertonic saline can worsen the injury. A plain saline solution is a better option.

Warning

• Doctors should avoid solutions that contain glucose, due to the potential risk of raising blood sugar levels that could cause further damage to the brain.