Mortality after Fluid Bolus in African Children with Severe Infection

In a large group of critically ill African children, fluid boluses significantly increased 48-hour mortality. The results were most marked in those with haemoglobin levels less than 5 g/dL. The results do not support the routine use of bolus resuscitation in severely ill febrile children with impaired perfusion in African hospitals.

Level of evidence: 1B: individual randomised control trial with narrow confidence intervals.