Fluid resuscitation of the thermally injured patient. Current concepts with definition of clinical subsets and their specialized treatment.

The key to successful fluid resuscitation of the thermally injured patient is close monitoring of the clinical response. Individualized resuscitation based on the parameters described allows for approximation of this goal. An eclectic approach used by the authors has been described with reference to clinical subsets that may require specialized resuscitative methods. Efforts should be made to use the smallest volume of fluid needed to optimize end organ perfusion. The goals of fluid resuscitation have been summarized and a variety of formulas have been described. We anticipate that our understanding of patient subsets outlined in this paper will undergo further evolution.