REVIEW ARTICLE_FLUID MANAGEMENT IN ELECTIVE SURGERY

The purpose of the thesis was to investigate the pathophysiology and functional outcomes of various fluid administration regimens in elective surgical procedures and describe factors of importance in perioperative fluid management. The goal was to create a rational physiologic background on which to design future ran-domized, clinical trials focusing on clinical outcomes aiming to produce evidence-based guidelines for rational perioperative fluid therapy. The main hypothesis of the thesis was thatthe ”liberal” fluid administration regimens seen in daily clinical practice may be detrimental and contribute to increased perioperative morbid-ity primarily due to increased functional demands of the cardi-opulmonary system and gastrointestinal tract as well as de-creased tissue oxygenation (impaired wound healing).