Korean and Vietnam War

Following WWII, the Korean and Vietnam Wars furthered improvements in resuscitation and the treatment of shock:

• crystalloid fluids were used increasingly in resuscitation

• the benefit of fluids in preventing acute renal failure in hypovolemic shock was acknowledged 

• later on, it became recognized that an excess of crystalloid fluid led to respiratory difficulty ("wet lung")

• anesthetic techniques were developed which included the first commonplace usage of general anaesthesia given with airway protection via an endotracheal tube [4]

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4. Safar, P. (1996). "On the history of modern resuscitation." Critical Care Medicine. 24(2 (suppl)): S3-S11.

All references for this section