Haemodynamics, fluids & transfusion
A Crossover Trial of Hospital-Wide Lactated Ringer’s Solution versus Normal Saline
Primary resultResult — go to the resultAdjusted difference −0.53 percentage points 95% CI −1.85 to 0.79Authors' conclusion
A hospital-wide policy to administer lactated Ringer's solution rather than normal saline did not result in a significantly lower incidence of death or readmission to the hospital within 90 days after the index admission.
Study context
- Population
- Patients at hospitals in Ontario, Canada, receiving routine IV fluids
- Participants
- 43,626 patients · 7 hospitals
- Comparison
- Hospital-wide lactated Ringer's solution vs normal saline
- Primary endpoint
- Composite of:
- Death
- Readmission to hospital
- Follow-up
- 90 days after the index admission
Methodological detailsopen-label, two-period, two-sequence, cross-sectional, cluster-randomized, hospital-level analysis, Trial interrupted owing to the COVID pandemic; 7 hospitals completed both 12-week periods
- Open-label
- Two-period, two-sequence
- Cross-sectional
- Cluster-randomized
- Hospital-level analysis
- Trial interrupted owing to the COVID pandemic; 7 hospitals completed both 12-week periods
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
90 days
Adjusted difference
−0.53 percentage points
95% CI −1.85 to 0.79
P = 0.35
By group
Lactated Ringer's vs Normal saline
adjusted difference −0.53 percentage points (95% CI −1.85 to 0.79); P = 0.35
Secondary outcomes
Secondary outcomes (death, readmission, LOS, dialysis, ED visit, discharge other than home)
- Consistent with those for the primary outcome
Safety
- No serious adverse events reported
Original publication
A Crossover Trial of Hospital-Wide Lactated Ringer’s Solution versus Normal Saline. N Engl J Med. Published 12 June 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →