ABSTRACT
Appropriate volume replacement must always be initiated as soon as early signs of blood or fluid loss are apparent, not when the patient has decompensated and is becoming moribund. There are many sources of fluid loss: the surgical patient will not only have the normal insensible loss (Figure 14.2), but may, for instance, have additional losses from vomiting, bleeding, or leakage into the gut. The content of the fluid lost from the circulation has to be identified and appropriate replacement fluids prescribed and administered. The need for a speedy restoration of normal volumes, in most patients, cannot be overemphasized.
