Fluid resuscitation in critically sick children with fevers… or not?

This film tells the story of the FEAST trial, focusing on the issue of fluid resuscitation in very sick African children with febrile illnesses. The findings of FEAST have only been partially implemented, even in Africa, creating controversy between those who believe the results are unequivocally clear and those who argue that guidelines cannot be changed on results of just one trial. Given the very large numbers of children who die each year with shock and febrile illnesses, ranging from Sepsis to Malaria and Meningitis, the area urgently needs more research. In the absence of consensus current guidelines for emergency paediatric care, current guidelines for children with severe shock give options ranging from very cautious use of fluids to faster fluid resuscitation than was shown to be harmful in FEAST. This film would be good viewing for anyone interested in medical research.