An international comparison of the cost of fluid resuscitation therapies.

OBJECTIVE: Fluid resuscitation is a ubiquitous intervention in the management of patients treated in the intensive care unit, which has implications for intensive care unit resourcing and budgets. Our objective was to calculate the relative cost of resuscitation fluids in several countries to inform future economic evaluations. METHODS: We collected site-level data regarding the availability and cost of fluids as part of an international survey. We normalised costs to net present values using purchasing power parities and published inflation figures. Costs were also adjusted for equi-effective dosing based on intravascular volume expansion effectiveness and expressed as US dollars (USD) per 100 mL crystalloid equivalent. RESULTS: A total of 187 sites had access to cost data. Between countries, there was an approximate six fold variation in the cost of crystalloids and colloids overall. The average cost for crystalloids overall was less than 1 USD per 100 mL. In contrast, colloid fluids had higher average costs (59 USD per 100 mL). After adjusting for equi-effective dosing, saline was ∼27 times less costly than albumin (saline: 0.6 USD per 100 mL crystalloid equivalent; albumin 4-5%: 16.4 USD; albumin 20-25%: 15.8 USD) and ∼4 times less costly than hydroxyethyl starch solution (saline: 0.6 USD; hydroxyethyl starch solution: 2.5 USD). Buffered salt solutions, such as compound sodium acetate solutions (e.g., Plasmalyte®), had the highest average cost of crystalloid fluids, costing between 3 and 4 USD per 100 mL. CONCLUSION: The cost of fluid varies substantially between fluid types and between countries, although normal (0.9%) saline is consistently less costly than colloid preparations and some buffered salt solutions. These data can be used to inform future economic evaluations of fluid preparations.

Fluid Management Practices After Surgery for Congenital Heart Disease: A Worldwide Survey.

OBJECTIVES: To determine common practice for fluid management after cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease among pediatric cardiac intensivists. DESIGN: A survey consisting of 17 questions about fluid management practices after pediatric cardiac surgery. Distribution was done by email, social media, World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies website, and World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies newsletter using the electronic survey distribution and collection system Research Electronic Data Capture. SETTING: PICUs around the world. SUBJECTS: Pediatric intensivists managing children after surgery for congenital heart disease. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: One-hundred eight responses from 18 countries and six continents were received. The most common prescribed fluids for IV maintenance are isotonic solutions, mainly NaCl 0.9% (42%); followed by hypotonic fluids (33%) and balanced crystalloids solutions (14%). The majority of the respondents limit total fluid intake to 50% during the first 24 hours after cardiac surgery. The most frequently used fluid as first choice for resuscitation is NaCl 0.9% (44%), the second most frequent choice are colloids (27%). Furthermore, 64% of respondents switch to a second fluid for ongoing resuscitation, 76% of these choose a colloid. Albumin 5% is the most commonly used colloid (61%). Almost all respondents (96%) agree there is a need for research on this topic. CONCLUSIONS: Our survey demonstrates great variation in fluid management practices, not only for maintenance fluids but also for volume resuscitation. Despite the lack of evidence, colloids are frequently administered. The results highlight the need for further research and evidence-based guidelines on this topic.

Randomized Double-blind Trial of Ringer Lactate Versus Normal Saline in Pediatric Acute Severe Diarrheal Dehydration.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Ringer lactate (RL) versus normal saline (NS) in the correction of pediatric acute severe diarrheal dehydration, as measured by improvement in clinical status and pH (≥7.35). METHODS: A total of 68 children ages 1 month to 12 years with acute severe diarrheal dehydration (World Health Organization [WHO] classification) were randomized into RL (n = 34) and NS groups (n = 34) and received 100 mL/kg of the assigned intravenous fluid according to WHO PLAN-C for the management of diarrheal dehydration. The primary outcome was an improvement in clinical status and pH (≥7.35) at the end of 6 hours. Secondary outcomes were changes in serum electrolytes, renal and blood gas parameters, the volume of fluid required for dehydration correction excluding the first cycle, time to start oral feeding, hospital stay, and cost-effectiveness analysis. RESULTS: Primary outcome was achieved in 38% versus 23% (relative risk = 1.63, 95% confidence interval 0.80-3.40) in RL and NS groups, respectively. No significant differences were observed in secondary outcomes in electrolytes, renal, and blood gas parameters. None required second cycle of dehydration correction. Median (interquartile range) time to start oral feeding (1.0 [0.19-2.0] vs 1.5 [0.5-2.0] hours) and hospital stay (2.0 [1.0-2.0] vs 2.0 [2.0-2.0] days) was similar. The median total cost was higher in RL than NS group ((Equation is included in full-text article.)120 [(Equation is included in full-text article.)120-(Equation is included in full-text article.)180] vs (Equation is included in full-text article.)55 [(Equation is included in full-text article.)55-(Equation is included in full-text article.)82], P ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSION: In pediatric acute severe diarrheal dehydration, resuscitation with RL and NS was associated with similar clinical improvement and biochemical resolution. Hence, NS is to be considered as the fluid of choice because of the clinical improvement, cost, and availability.

Hydroxyethyl starch versus saline for resuscitation of patients in intensive care: long-term outcomes and cost-effectiveness analysis of a cohort from CHEST.

BACKGROUND: Hydroxyethyl starch for fluid resuscitation in critically ill patients is not associated with improved short-term patient-centred outcomes compared with crystalloid fluid solutions. However, its effect on longer term health economic outcomes has not been reported. METHODS: We did a prespecified cost-effectiveness analysis of a cohort of patients from New South Wales enrolled in the Crystalloid versus Hydroxyethyl Starch Trial (CHEST), who were randomised to treatment with either 6% hydroxyethyl starch with a molecular weight of 130 kD and a molar substitution ratio of 0·4 or 0·9% sodium chloride (saline) for fluid resuscitation. Clinical outcomes were mortality and life-years gained at 6 months and 24 months, health-related quality of life at 6 months, and quality-adjusted life-years gained at 6 months. Health economic outcomes were hospital and intensive-care unit (ICU) resource use and costs at 24 months and cost-effectiveness, which we defined as the probability of reaching a willingness-to-pay threshold of less than A$50 000 per quality-adjusted life-year gained at 6 months and $100 000 per life-year gained at 24 months. CHEST is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00935168. FINDINGS: 3537 (51%) of 7000 patients were enrolled into CHEST from New South Wales, of whom 3450 (98%) were included in our cost-effectiveness analysis. Mortality at both 6 months and 24 months did not differ between the hydroxyethyl starch and saline groups (6 months: 397/1684 [24%] vs 382/1706 [22%]; relative risk [RR] 1·05, 95% CI 0·93-1·19; p=0·41; 24 months: 586/1687 [35%] vs 594/1708 [35%]; RR 1·00, 95% CI 0·91-1·10; p=0·89). The mean number of life-years gained at 6 months and 24 months was similar between the hydroxyethyl starch and saline groups (6 months: 0·41 days [SD 0·18] vs 0·41 days [0·17]; p=0·25; 24 months: 1·46 years [SD 0·80] vs 1·47 years [0·79]; p=0·72). At 6 months, the mean health-related quality of life score was 0·67 (SD 0·34) with hydroxyethyl starch versus 0·69 (0·35) with saline (p=0·33). The mean number of quality-adjusted life-years gained did not differ between the hydroxyethyl starch and saline groups at 6 months (0·26 days [SD 0·18] vs 0·26 days [0·18]; p=0·33). Total hospital costs (including ICU costs) at 24 months were similar between the hydroxyethyl starch and saline groups (A$62 196 [55 935] vs $62 617 [56 452]; p=0·83). The probability that hydroxyethyl starch was cost effective was 11% at 6 months and 29% at 24 months. INTERPRETATION: Although longer term clinical outcomes did not differ between patients resuscitated with hydroxyethyl starch or saline in the ICU, from a health-care payer's perspective, the probability that hydroxyethyl starch is cost effective in these patients is low. FUNDING: Division of Critical Care and Trauma, George Institute for Global Health.

Hydroxyethyl starch reduces coagulation competence and increases blood loss during major surgery: results from a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated whether administration of hydroxyethyl starch (HES) 130/0.4 affects coagulation competence and influences the perioperative blood loss. BACKGROUND: Artificial colloids substitute blood volume during surgery; with the administration of HES 130/0.4 (Voluven, Fresenius Kabi, Uppsala, Sweden) only a minor effect on coagulation competence is expected. METHODS: Eighty patients were scanned for enrollment in the study, and 40 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Two patients withdrew their consent to participate in the study, and 5 patients were excluded. Thus, 16 patients were randomized to receive lactated Ringer's solution and 17 to receive HES 130/0.4. RESULTS: Among the patients receiving HES 130/0.4, thrombelastography indicated reduced clot strength (P < 0.001) and blinded evaluation of the perioperative blood loss was 2.2 (range 0.5 to 5.0) versus 1.4 (range 0.5 to 2.4) L in the patients who received HES 130/0.4 or lactated Ringer, respectively (P < 0.038). The patients in the lactated Ringer's group, however, received more fluid (P < 0.0001) than those in the HES 130/0.4 group. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups with regard to frequency of reoperations or the length of hospital stay, but use of HES 130/0.4 was both more expensive and less efficacious than the use of lactated Ringer. CONCLUSIONS: Administration of HES 130/0.4 reduced clot strength and perioperative hemorrhage increased by more than 50%, while administration of lactated Ringer's solution provoked an approximately 2.5 times greater positive volume balance at the end of surgery.

Choice of Fluids in Severe Septic Patients - A Cost-effectiveness Analysis Informed by Recent Clinical Trials.

Fluid resuscitation with colloids is an established second line therapy for septic patients. Evidence of relative efficacy outcomes is tempered by considerations of the relative costs of the individual fluids. An assessment of recent large clinical trials was performed, resulting in a ranking in the efficacy of these therapies. Probabilities for mortality and the need for renal replacement therapy (RRT) were derived and used to inform a decision analysis model comparing the effect of crystalloid, albumin and hydroxyethyl starch solutions in severe septic patients followed from hospital admission to 90 days in intensive care. The US payer perspective was used. Model inputs for costs and efficacy were derived from the peer-reviewed literature, assuming that that all fluid preparations are bio-equivalent within each class of these therapies. Probabilities for mortality and the need for renal replacement therapy (RRT) data were synthesized using a Bayesian meta-analysis. Relative to crystalloid therapy, 0.21 life years were gained with albumin and 0.85 life years were lost with hydroxyethyl starch. One-way sensitivity analysis showed that the model's outcomes were sensitive to the cost of RRT but not to the costs of the actual fluids or any other costs. We conclude that albumin may be the most cost-effective treatment in these patients when the total medical costs and iatrogenic morbidities involved in treating sepsis with fluids are considered. These results should assist and inform decision making in the choice of these drugs.

A pragmatic multi-centre randomised controlled trial of fluid loading in high-risk surgical patients undergoing major elective surgery--the FOCCUS study.

INTRODUCTION: Fluid strategies may impact on patient outcomes in major elective surgery. We aimed to study the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of pre-operative fluid loading in high-risk surgical patients undergoing major elective surgery. METHODS: This was a pragmatic, non-blinded, multi-centre, randomised, controlled trial. We sought to recruit 128 consecutive high-risk surgical patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. The patients underwent pre-operative fluid loading with 25 ml/kg of Ringer's solution in the six hours before surgery. The control group had no pre-operative fluid loading. The primary outcome was the number of hospital days after surgery with cost-effectiveness as a secondary outcome. RESULTS: A total of 111 patients were recruited within the study time frame in agreement with the funder. The median pre-operative fluid loading volume was 1,875 ml (IQR 1,375 to 2,025) in the fluid group compared to 0 (IQR 0 to 0) in controls with days in hospital after surgery 12.2 (SD 11.5) days compared to 17.4 (SD 20.0) and an adjusted mean difference of 5.5 days (median 2.2 days; 95% CI -0.44 to 11.44; P = 0.07). There was a reduction in adverse events in the fluid intervention group (P = 0.048) and no increase in fluid based complications. The intervention was less costly and more effective (adjusted average cost saving: £2,047; adjusted average gain in benefit: 0.0431 quality adjusted life year (QALY)) and has a high probability of being cost-effective. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-operative intravenous fluid loading leads to a non-significant reduction in hospital length of stay after high-risk major surgery and is likely to be cost-effective. Confirmatory work is required to determine whether these effects are reproducible, and to confirm whether this simple intervention could allow more cost-effective delivery of care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Prospective Clinical Trials, ISRCTN32188676.

The COASST study: cost-effectiveness of albumin in severe sepsis and septic shock.

INTRODUCTION: The cost-effectiveness of albumin-based fluid support in patients with severe sepsis is not known. METHODS: We compared standard medical practice and systematic albumin infusion. The study population consisted of patients with severe sepsis and/or septic shock admitted to one of the 35 intensive care units belonging to the Cub-Réa regional database between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2002. Only stays longer than 24 hours and only patients with a minimum of circulatory, renal, or respiratory failure were considered. Cost estimates were based on French diagnosis-related groups and fixed daily prices. A 4.6% reduction in mortality was expected in the albumin arm, as observed in the Saline vs Albumin Fluid Evaluation (SAFE) Study. Life expectancy was estimated with the declining exponential approximation of life expectancy method, based on age, sex, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, and McCabe score. RESULTS: The number of lives saved among the 11137 patients was 513. The average life expectancy of the 5156 patients who left the hospital alive was estimated to be 9.78 years. The costs per life saved and per year life saved were 6037 euro and 617 euro, respectively. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the results. CONCLUSION: The application of the SAFE Study results to CUB-Réa data shows that albumin infusion is cost-effective in severe sepsis.

Crystalloids versus colloids for fluid resuscitation in critically-ill patients.

The choice of crystalloid or colloid for fluid resuscitation has been debated for the last few years. Although colloids seems to be more interesting when taking into account their physiological properties, their effect on mortality is not better than crystalloids if they are used in an adequate amount. Moreover, colloids' side effects are far more important than those of crystalloids. Several randomised studies pointed out the renal effects of colloids including acute renal injury with an increased need of renal replacement therapy. An unacceptably high rate of renal side effects has resulted in premature termination of some clinical trials. In addition, homeostatic and anaphylactoid effects of colloids on coagulation and on anaphylaxis may increase the risk of death associated with their use. Finally, colloids are much more expensive than crystalloids. For all these reasons, we conclude that crystalloids should be preferred to colloids for fluid resuscitation.

[Consumption of medications during the cholera epidemic in Douala, Cameroon (2004)]. / Consommation de médicaments lors de l'épidémie de choléra de Douala (2004).

To prepare for cholera outbreaks, stockpiles of supplies, rehydration salts/ solutions and appropriate antibiotics must be placed in strategic locations to ensure a prompt and effective response. However specific needs have not been evaluated up to now. The purpose of this report is to give an accurate account of medical supplies that were consumed during the cholera epidemic in Douala in 2004. Consumption of medication for the entire epidemic was measured by crosschecking data from the provincial pharmaceutical supply centre with the order forms, stock sheets and records of hospitals. Cost was calculated based on pricing data from the National Supply Center. For the 5 020 confirmed cases of cholera that were treated in the 14 hospitals in Douala from January to September 2004, consumption consisted of 499,746 doxycycline tablets, 235,881 amoxicilline tablets, 122,781 rehydration salt packets, and 60,217 units of Ringer Lactate (500 ml). The total cost of medications and consumables was 52,229,311 CFAF (approximately 80,000 Euro). Although updated recommendations are not available, comparison with the existing ones shows that the consumption levels observed were 5 times higher for both rehydration and antibiotherapy. The mean cost of treatment in Douala was 13 Euro per reported patient. This cost rose to 15 Euro if antibiotic prophylaxis was prescribed for all contacts. These findings can be useful in planning for future epidemics by allowing recommendations to be updated. We propose the follow supply levels for 50,000 inhabitants with an attack rate of 0.2%: 10,000 doxycycline tablets, 5000 amoxicilline tablets (500 mg), 2500 SRO packs (for 2500 liters) and 600 liters of Ringer Lactate.

Cost-effectiveness of cell salvage and alternative methods of minimising perioperative allogeneic blood transfusion: a systematic review and economic model.

OBJECTIVES: To compare patient outcomes, resource use and costs to the NHS and NHS Blood Transfusion Authority (BTA) associated with cell salvage and alternative methods of minimising perioperative allogeneic blood transfusion. DATA SOURCES: Electronic databases covering the period 1996-2004 for systematic reviews and 1994-2004 for economic evidence. REVIEW METHODS: Existing systematic reviews were updated with data from selected randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that involved adults scheduled for elective non-urgent surgery. Any resource use or cost data were extracted for potential use in populating an economic model. Relative risks or weighted mean difference of each outcome for each intervention were assessed, taking into account the number of RCTs included in each outcome and intervention and the presence of any heterogeneity. This allowed indirect comparison of the relative effectiveness of each intervention when the intervention is compared with allogeneic blood transfusion. A decision analytic model synthesised clinical and economic data from several sources, to estimate the relative cost-effectiveness of cell salvage for people undergoing elective surgery with moderate to major expected blood loss. The perspective of the NHS and patients and a time horizon of 1 month were used. The economic model was developed from reviews of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness and clinical experts. Secondary analysis explored the robustness of the results to changes in the timing and costs of cell salvage equipment, surgical procedure, use of transfusion protocols and time horizon of analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 668 studies were identified electronically for the update of the two systematic reviews. This included five RCTs, of which two were cell salvage and three preoperative autologous donation (PAD). Five published systematic reviews were identified for antifibrinolytics, fibrin sealants and restrictive transfusion triggers, PAD plus erythropoietin, erythropoietin alone and acute normovolaemic haemodilution (ANH). Twelve published studies reported full economic evaluations. All but two of the transfusion strategies significantly reduced exposure to allogeneic blood. The relative risk of exposure to allogeneic blood was 0.59 for the pooled trials of cell salvage (95% confidence interval: 0.48 to 0.73). This varied by the type and timing of cell salvage and type of surgical procedure. For cell salvage, the relative risk of allogeneic blood transfusion was higher in cardiac surgery than in orthopaedic surgery. Cell salvage had lower costs and slightly higher quality-adjusted life years compared with all of the alternative transfusion strategies except ANH. The likelihood that cell salvage is cost-effective compared with strategies other than ANH is over 50%. Most of the secondary analyses indicated similar results to the primary analysis. However, the primary and secondary analyses indicated that ANH may be more cost-effective than cell salvage. CONCLUSIONS: The available evidence indicates that cell salvage may be a cost-effective method to reduce exposure to allogeneic blood transfusion. However, ANH may be more cost-effective than cell salvage. The results of this analysis are subject to the low quality and reliability of the data used and the use of indirect comparisons. This may affect the reliability and robustness of the clinical and economic results. There is a need for further research that includes adequately powered high-quality RCTs to compare directly various blood transfusion strategies. These should include measures of health status, health-related quality of life and patient preferences for alternative transfusion strategies. Observational and tracking studies are needed to estimate reliably the incidence of adverse events and infections transmitted during blood transfusion and to identify the lifetime consequences of the serious hazards of transfusion on mortality, health status and health-related quality of life.

Preventive therapy for postoperative purulent otorrhea after ventilation tube insertion.

OBJECTIVE: Treatment modalities which are intraoperative irrigation of the middle ear with isotonic saline, postoperative oral antibiotic treatment, and postoperative topical antibiotic use have been compared with each other and with control group regarding their efficiency in preventing postoperative purulent otorrhea after ventilation tube insertion. Moreover, the costs of the treatment modalities were analyzed. STUDY DESIGN: Each group consisted of 70 patients, and a total of 280 patients were followed up for purulent otorrhea 2 weeks after the surgery. The study was a single-blind randomized clinical trial. RESULTS: Ten (14.28%) patients in the oral antibiotic group, 11 (15.71%) patients in the isotonic saline irrigation group, 6 (8.57%) patients in the topical antibiotic drops group, and 21 (30%) patients in the control group had postoperative purulent otorrhea. Statistical analysis determined a significant difference between each treatment modalities and control group but did not show any significant difference between the treatment groups. When the treatment options were compared according to their cost, however, the cost per successfully treated patient was significantly lower in the saline irrigation group. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative saline irrigation of the middle ear provides an effective, easy, and cheap treatment in preventing postoperative purulent otorrhea.

An analysis of the effectiveness and benefits of peritoneal dialysis and haemodialysis using Nigerian made PD fluids.

Haemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) remains the cornerstone of management of patients with renal failure in developing countries as renal transplantation is just developing in most. Although both HD and PD are cost intensive, specific advantages and disadvantages have been identified with either of them. Comparative assessment of their effectiveness, benefits and cost will assist in providing a rational basis for preference of one or the other especially in third world countries where renal replacement therapy remains unaffordable and therefore relatively inaccessible to majority of patients. We therefore conducted this prospective randomised study to compare the effectiveness, benefits, cost and complications of acute or intermittent PD (IPD) and HD using locally manufactured PD fluids. Two groups of twenty patients with renal failure matched for age and clinical diagnosis were managed with IPD and HD and the effectiveness, costs and complications of both modalities compared. We found that both were comparably effective in the control of uraemia with significant reductions in the serum urea, creatinine and potassium from 29.2 +/- 7.2 mmol/L, 1693.7 +/- 580.5micromol/L and 4.8 +/- 1.2 mmol/L to 13.2 +/- 4.6 mmol/L, 796.0 +/- 458.0micromol/ L and 3.3 +/- 0.6 mmol/L respectively for IPD (P<0.05) and 34.4 +/- 9.0mmol/L, 1536.0 +/- 832.5 micromol/L and4.8 +/- 1.3 mmoV L to 14.6 +/- 7.5 mmol/L, 830.0 +/- 570.7 micromol/L and 3.9 +/- 0.8 mmol/L respectively for HD (P<0.05). In addition, there were significant improvements in serum bicarbonate in both groups. There was no significant difference in percentage reduction in serum urea, creatinine and serum potassium in both groups (P>0.05). However, HD managed patients required more blood transfusion (P<0.05). There were also comparably significant reductiohs in systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressures in both groups (P<0.05). The costs of dialysis as well as the total cost of hospitalization were found to be significantly lower in patients managed with IPD (P<0.05). The commonest complication observed in patients managed with IPD was peritonitis while in patients managed with HD it was dialysis-induced hypotension. The clinical outcome was equally good in all the ARF patients as all of them recovered irrespective of the treatment modality; CRF patients did not fare as well with 37.5% mortality observed. We conclude that IPD and HD are effective renal replacement therapies with the former being significantly cheaper. IPD should be encouraged in our patients with ARF or acute exacerbation of chronic renal failure.

Corneal endothelial cell protection with a dispersive viscoelastic material and an irrigating solution during phacoemulsification: low-cost versus expensive combination.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the protective effect on corneal endothelial cells of a low-cost and an expensive combination of a dispersive viscoelastic material and an irrigating solution during phacoemulsification. SETTING: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. METHODS: This prospective randomized examiner- and patient-masked study comprised 90 eyes of 45 consecutive patients with age-related cataract in both eyes. For each patient, the first eye was randomly assigned to receive hydroxypropyl methylcellulose 2% (Ocucoat) and Ringer's solution (low-cost combination) or sodium chondroitin sulfate 4%-sodium hyaluronate 3% (Viscoat) and an enriched balanced salt solution (BSS Plus) (expensive combination) during phacoemulsification. The contralateral eye received the other treatment. Endothelial cell function was evaluated by measuring corneal thickness (CT) using partial coherence interferometry, morphology assessment, and endothelial cell counts. RESULTS: The acute postoperative increase in CT was +9.8 microm in the low-cost group and +10.9 microm in the expensive group; the difference between groups was not significant. After 1 month, the CT still differed significantly from baseline in the low-cost group. Three months after surgery, the CT had returned to baseline values in both groups. There was no significant between-group difference in endothelial cell counts or morphology. CONCLUSIONS: During phacoemulsification in a nonselected patient population, there was no difference in acute postoperative corneal edema and endothelial cell morphology after 3 months between a Viscoat and BSS Plus combination and an Ocucoat and Ringer's solution combination. Eyes receiving the expensive combination had marginally faster recovery of corneal swelling by 3 months. However, the cost of Viscoat and 500 mL BSS Plus is 5 times that of Ocucoat and Ringer's solution.

Intraocular irrigating solutions. A randomized clinical trial of balanced salt solution plus and dextrose bicarbonate lactated Ringer's solution.

BACKGROUND: Two intraocular irrigating solutions which differ principally by the presence of oxidized glutathione were compared in this randomized, masked, prospective study to discern differences in preservation of endothelial cell size. METHODS: Sixty-four patients undergoing extracapsular cataract extractions were randomized between two irrigating solution groups, Balanced Salt Solution (BSS) Plus (n = 30) and dextrose bicarbonate lactated Ringer's solution (n = 34). Preoperative and postoperative endothelial specular photomicrographs were analyzed for cell size and hexagonality, and the two groups were compared using repeated measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: Fifty-eight subjects (91%) completed the 2-month study. Change in cell size for the BSS Plus group (n = 28) (mean +/- standard error, 29.4 +/- 12.3 microns2) was not significantly different from the dextrose bicarbonate lactated Ringer's solution group (n = 30) (27.5 +/- 12.9 microns2) (P = 0.92). Groups did not differ significantly in percent hexagonality (P = 0.57) or in the variability of cell size (P = 0.61). CONCLUSION: The presence of glutathione in BSS Plus and other minor electrolyte differences between the solutions is not more advantageous with regard to endothelial cell size than dextrose bicarbonate lactated Ringer's solution for standard extracapsular cataract surgery. Cost per 500-microliters bottle of BSS plus is $62 compared with $9.80 for dextrose bicarbonate lactated Ringer's solution.