Background
Crystalloid fluids have been used as a method of resuscitation since the cholera epidemic in the 1830’s [59]. Crystalloids are a family of aqueous solutions containing different concentrations of ions and small organic molecules [60]. These solutions are classified as physiologically unbalanced/nonbuffered (e.g. normal saline), physiologically balanced/buffered (e.g. lactate, acetate, maleate) or classified by their tonicity relative to human plasma (isotonic, hypotonic or hypertonic) [59, 61, 62].