Reviving the Critically Ill: Exploring Effective Fluid Resuscitation Approaches for Diverse Hypovolemic Shock Cases – A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract Background Hypovolemic shock is a potentially life-threatening condition, which when left untreated, may result in multiple organ failure. This condition is characterized by circulatory failure as a result of intravascular volume loss; therefore, fluid resuscitation is fundamental for its management. Fluid resuscitation constitutes a wide range of products generally classified as colloids or crystalloids. However, the ideal fluid for resuscitation is still the subject of debate. The present study was performed to investigate the efficacy of different resuscitation fluids in critically ill patients presenting any type of hypovolemic shock. Methods We comprehensively searched PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar for randomized trials published in English from January 1990 to August 2023. The risk of bias and methodological quality assessment was performed using Cochrane’s risk of bias tool embedded within the Review Manager software (RevMan 5.4.1). Moreover, this software was used to perform all the statistical analyses in the present study. During these analyses, the random effects model and 95% confidence interval was employed. Results Our initial database search resulted in 4768 articles, of which only 16 were reviewed and analyzed. A subgroup analysis of data from 4 of these studies showed that hydroxyethyl starches (HES), gelatins and albumins had no significant mortality benefit compared to crystalloids (RR: 0.94; 95% CI: 0.75–1.17; p = 0.58, RR: 0.71; 95% 0.46–1.08; p = 0.11 and RR: 1.05; 95% CI: 0.77–1.43; p = 0.77, respectively). Similarly, a subgroup analysis of data from 9 studies showed that hypertonic saline plus dextran (HSD) had no significant mortality benefit over normal saline (RR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.62–1.13; p = 0.24) or Lactated ringer’s solution (RR: 1.03; 95% CI: 0.75–1.42; p = 0.87). In addition, we found that hypertonic saline had a similar effect on the overall mortality as isotonic crystalloids (RR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.68–1.25; p = 0.60). Also, our analysis shows that modified fluid gelatins had a similar mortality effect as HES ((RR: 1.02; 95% CI: 0.52–2.02; p = 0.95). Conclusion. Colloids, whether individually or in hypertonic crystalloids (HSD), had no mortality benefit over crystalloids in adult patients with hypovolemic shock.