Objective: To compare the outcome of the postoperative administration of a restricted or standard intravenous fluid regimen in patients who underwent elective abdominal vascular surgery. The primary end point was postoperative hospital stay.
Design: Prospective observer-blinded, randomised controlled trial.
Material and methods: Patients were considered eligible if they underwent transperitoneal aorto-iliac approach with infrarenal graft repair. During the operation and intensive care unit stay, fluids were prescribed by the anaesthetists who were unaware of the details of the study. In the vascular surgical ward, patients in the standard group (SG) received 2500ml of fluids per day, whereas patients in the restricted group (RG) received 1500ml of fluids per day. All the patients were evaluated on an intention-to-treat basis.
Results: Forty patients were randomised to the RG (n=20) or SG (n=20). No significant differences were observed in the recovery of gastrointestinal function. However, the postoperative hospital stay was shorter in the RG (8 days) than in the SG (12 days) (p=0.003).
Conclusions: The use of a restrictive postoperative fluid protocol significantly reduces the duration of hospital stay in patients who have undergone major elective abdominal vascular surgery.