Is hyperchloremia following sepsis resuscitation with 0.9% saline clinically important?

The authors of the article titled “Balanced salt solution versus normal saline solution as initial fluid resuscitation in pediatric septic shock: a randomized, double-blind controlled trial”, published in Critical Care and Shock, should be congratulated for design and conduct of a randomized, double-blind clinical trial in severely unwell children with sepsis. The patient population included in the study was severely unwell: all patients enrolled went on to require inotropic therapy, and overall mortality was 24.6%. This stands in contrast to industrialized countries, where inotrope use and death from septic shock are significantly lower. The generalizability of findings between regions…

Elliot Long, Franz E. Babl, Fran Balamuth, Scott Weiss