A fluid used during brain surgery may shorten wake-up time
Original title: Effects of Sodium Bicarbonate Ringer's Solution versus Lactate Ringer's Solution on Emergence Time in Patients Undergoing Supratentorial Tumor Resection: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
It was tested in people, but only in one small trial so far.
The short version
In one trial, patients given one IV fluid woke from anesthesia a little sooner.
What was studied. This trial included 100 adults having surgery to remove a brain tumor in the upper part of the brain. Half got a sodium bicarbonate fluid during surgery. Half got a lactated fluid.
What they found. People who got the bicarbonate fluid woke up in 13 minutes. The other group took 16 minutes. The breathing tube came out at 15 minutes, compared with 18 minutes. Memory and thinking scores 15 minutes later, problems after surgery, and days in the hospital were about the same in both groups.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: The fluid a patient gets during surgery might let them wake up a bit sooner. That can help doctors check brain function earlier. This is a choice the surgery team makes, not the patient.
What it doesn't mean: This does not treat the tumor in any way. It is not a cure, and it is not a new drug. It was one trial with 100 patients, and the time saved was small. Waking sooner did not lead to better thinking scores or fewer problems. More studies are needed before this becomes normal care everywhere.
Source: PubMed, October 9, 2026 · Read the original
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