Description
The workshop on the Risks and Benefits of Hydroxyethyl Starch Solutions (HES) was convened on September 6-7, 2012. Experts from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Defense (DoD), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), academia, and industry attended the workshop to discuss new findings on the risks and benefits of FDA-approved HES, as well as the barriers to the development and use of resuscitation fluids in general. The purpose was to aid in planning future clinical studies in this area. Key areas discussed were the:
- Use of HES in clinical practice, the risks and benefits of HES, and alternative intravenous resuscitation fluids, including normal saline, lactated Ringer's, and albumin;
- Published evidence and practice regarding HES and other alternative fluid based resuscitation strategies in traumatic, septic, and peri-operative clinical settings;
- Pathophysiology of hypovolemia and metabolic, inflammatory, coagulation, and other effects associated with fluid resuscitation in the setting of severe traumatic injury, sepsis, and peri-operative blood loss; and
- Opportunities to elucidate future research directions for the role of fluid-oriented resuscitation strategies in traumatic shock with severe blood loss, septic shock, and intra-postoperative blood loss.