ABSTRACT
Adequate therapy with intravenous fluids is crucial in the initial treatment of critically ill patients. Both hypovolemia and hypervolemia are associated with organ dysfunction and adverse outcomes. A recent international randomized trial investigated a restrictive volume management in comparison with a standard volume regimen. 90-day-mortality was not significantly reduced in the group with restrictive fluid administration. Instead of using a fixed fluid strategy - either restrictive or liberal - fluid therapy should be individualised: Adequate fluid application optimizes cardiac preload and tissue perfusion and avoids the harms of abundant volume therapy. Early use of vasopressors may facilitate the achievement of mean arterial pressure targets and minimize the risk of volume overload. Appropriate volume management requires evaluation of fluid status, knowledge of hemodynamic parameters and accurate testing of fluid responsiveness. Regarding the absence of evidence-based criterias and treatment goals for volume management in shock patients, an individualised approach resorting to diverse monitoring tools should be considered. UItrasound-based assessment of IVC diameter and echocardiography are excellent non-invasive tools to evaluate volume status. Passive leg raising (PLR) test represents a valid method for the assessment of volume responsiveness.
