Is there any advantage to albumin over crystalloid for volume resuscitation?

Abstract

A 55-year-old male presents to the trauma bay after being involved in a motor vehicle accident while intoxicated. He is well known to the emergency department for multiple alcohol-related admissions and has a past medical history of smoking, hypertension, mild renal insufficiency, and abnormal liver function tests and coagulation studies. He has sustained multiple fractures, is intubated for airway protection, and has a Glascow Coma Score of 8 on arrival. A chest tube is placed in the trauma bay for suspicion of pneumothorax, and a massive transfusion protocol is initiated. He is stable enough to be brought for a pan-computed tomography (CT) scan, which reveals a traumatic brain injury (TBI). At this point, he deteriorates hemodynamically and the neurosurgical and trauma teams rush the patient to the operating room for emergent craniotomy and exploratory laparotomy.