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Review
. 2021 Aug;22(3):248-254.
doi: 10.1177/1751143720961245. Epub 2020 Sep 30.

Human albumin solutions in intensive care: A review

David Melia  1 , Benjamin Post  2
Affiliations
Review

Human albumin solutions in intensive care: A review

David Melia et al. J Intensive Care Soc. 2021 Aug.

Abstract

Albumin plays a key role in the critically ill patient acting as a prognostic marker and as a therapy in the form of human albumin solutions. However, the use of human albumin solution has varied over time with notable differences between health systems. Whilst its use is widely accepted for some clinical indications, its role has not always been clear in the critically ill and has been found to be harmful in some cohorts. Numerous studies have showed conflicting results and critical care clinicians have not always been guided by robust evidence. Nonetheless, at present the use of human albumin solution appears to be increasing again in the United Kingdom. Below, we discuss the latest evidence base for its use in critically ill patients.

Keywords: Albumin; colloids; crystalloid solutions; hypoalbuminaemia.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Proportion of all fluid resuscitation episodes given in 2007 and 2014 in 84 ICUs (courtesy of Hammond et al.).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Type of colloid used as a percentage of all colloid episodes by country (courtesy of Finfer et al.).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Meta-analysis of mortality in large-scale randomized trials comparing albumin with crystalloids in adult patients with severe sepsis (courtesy of Wiedermann and Joannidis).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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