FLUID ADMINISTRATION, BRAIN EDEMA, AND CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID LACTATE AND GLUCOSE-CONCENTRATIONS IN EXPERIMENTAL ESCHERICHIA-COLI MENINGITIS

The effect of no fluids versus liberal fluid supplementation on brain edema and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) lactate and glucose concentrations was compared in rabbits with experimental Escherichia coli meningitis . Fluid restriction for the duration of the experiment (19 h) led to a decrease in body weight by approximately 5%, while the high fluid reg imen increased body weight by approximately 5%. Infected animals devel oped brain edema compared with controls, but the fluid regimen had no measurable effect on the degree of edema. In contrast, fluid-restricte d animals had significantly higher CSF lactate and lower CSF glucose c oncentrations than fluid-supplemented animals (lactate, 13.5 +/- 3.5 v s. 10.1 +/- 3.3 mmol/L; glucose, 1.89 +/- 1.39 vs. 4.11 +/- 1.39 mmol/ L). These results fail to support the hypothesis that administration o f large amounts of fluid in this model of gram-negative bacterial meni ngitis aggravates brain edema.