REFRESH: A pilot randomised controlled trial

Stephen P J Macdonald, Gerben Keijzers, David McD Taylor, Frances Kinnear, Glenn Arendts, Daniel M Fatovich, Rinaldo Bellomo, David McCutcheon, John F Fraser, Juan-Carlos Ascencio-Lane, Sally Burrows, Edward Litton, Amanda Harley, Matthew Anstey, Ashes Mukherjee, REFRESH trial investigators

Purpose: To determine if a regimen of restricted fluids and early vasopressor compared to usual care is feasible for initial resuscitation of hypotension due to suspected sepsis.

Methods: A prospective, randomised, open-label, clinical trial of a restricted fluid resuscitation regimen in the first 6h among patients in the emergency department (ED) with suspected sepsis and a systolic blood pressure under 100mmHg, after minimum 1000ml of IV fluid. Primary outcome was total fluid administered within 6h post randomisation.