Study Shows CeraLyte® ORS Can Reduce IV Therapy for Burn Patients Decreases risk of line infections and fluid overload from IVs

March 25, 2016

Study Shows CeraLyte® ORS Can Reduce IV Therapy for Burn Patients Decreases risk of line infections and fluid overload from IVs

HILTON HEAD, S.C. – A study on CeraLyte®90 published in the Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition (JHPN), Dec 2012, has shown the potential to substantially decrease the IV fluid requirement of the resuscitation of the thermally-injured (burn) patient, thereby decreasing the risk of such complications as line infection.” According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about one in 20 intensive care unit patients in U.S. hospitals contract infections from IV lines.

“We have demonstrated a significant reduction in the 24-hour IV fluid requirement of patients with moderate burn injuries by a systematic supplement with ORT using Ceralyte®90. We are convinced that the concept of this simple and low-cost treatment holds promise in the future of fluid resuscitation of the thermally injured,” state the study authors S.M. Milner, W. B. Greenough III, M.E. Asuku, M. Feldman, R. Makam, D. Noppenberger, L.A. Price, M. Prosciak, and I.N. van Loon, all from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD.

“Burn injuries often occur as mass casualty events. The initial loss of life is due to rapid loss of fluids and electrolytes into the area affected by the burn, ” note the authors. Prompt replacement of the body’s fluid loss with standard IV fluid is the standard of care for most moderate burn patients, according to the American Burn Association. Since tube-feeding is a routine part of treatment for burn patients in order to preserve nutritional status and support healing, the introduction of ORT through tube feeding can be facilitated with ease. Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) – also known as oral rehydration solution (ORS), was originally formulated in the 1960s for the treatment of cholera and is recognized as an effective treatment for diarrheal diseases. Cholera is known for the high purging of fluids, which can cause death from dehydration in a matter of hours. “CeraLyte® is a fast yet sustained-acting, high-performance, over-the-counter, rice-based oral solution that prevents and corrects dehydration,” explains Charlene Riikonen, CEO of Cera Products. Supplementing with CeraLyte is cost-effective since IV hydration costs thousands of dollars compared to CeraLyte, which is $3 per liter.

The JHPN report titled, “From Cholera to Burns: A Role for Oral Rehydration Therapy,” involved a limited study of patients with burn wounds over 20 to 40 percent of the body surface area. By decreasing traditional IV fluids and supplementing with CeraLyte®90 ORT, the amount of IV fluid therapy was reduced by an average of 58 percent in the first 24 hours of treatment, and up to 77.5 percent in one case. “ORT may be a feasible alternative to IV fluid therapy…potentially saving many lives in mass casualty situations or in resource-poor settings where IV fluid therapy is not immediately available,” says the study. Oral rehydration provides for the absorption of fluid and electrolytes from the intestine, which is auto-regulated by the body’s endocrine system. As a result, ORT is less likely than IV fluids to produce fluid overload, which occasionally causes compartment syndrome within the muscle sheaths or abdomen, as well as pulmonary congestion or edema.

Hilton Head Island, SC 29926 Tel: 843-842-2600 www.ceraproductsinc.com

“CeraLyte is unique because of a patented long-chain carbohydrate formula that speeds absorption of valuable electrolytes and fluids that match the body’s natural composition,” says Ms. Riikonen. “This rice-based ORS, with its variety of short, medium and long chain lengths, maximizes absorption of salts and water,” stated authors of a study of CeraLyte compared to the World Health Organization ORS, for treatment of cholera patients, published in Acta Pediatrica 2001.

Formulated along with doctors at a major medical center in the U.S.A., CeraLyte® can be ordered online and shipped next day from the company. It also is available to hospitals and pharmacies as a “drop ship” item nationwide, through pharmacies, sporting goods retailers and travel health clinics nationwide, including Passport Health USA and Johns Hopkins Travel Clinic. For information, go to www.ceralyte.com or call 1-888-237-2598.

Based in Hilton Head, South Carolina, Cera Products has completed extensive R&D. Its pioneering rice-based oral electrolyte blends are to correct dehydration, restoring fluid volume and cell balance for various medical conditions. CeraLyte is widely used by the U.S. military, primarily in medical kits and in field hospitals.



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