On Jan 26, 2018, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) suspended the marketing authorisations of hydroxyethyl starch (HES) solutions across the European Union.1 These intravenous solutions are often used for plasma volume replacement following acute blood loss. Evidence from highquality, investigator-initiated clinical trials in kidney donors, patients with sepsis, and in critically ill patients ...

The choice of which intravenous solution to prescribe remains a matter of considerable debate in intensive care units around the world. Trends have been moving away from using hydroxyethyl starch solutions following concerns about safety. But are the available data sufficient to clearly assess the risk-benefit balance for all patients, and is there enough evidence of harm to justify removing th...

The glucuronoxylomannan component of the Cryptococcus neoformans capsular polysaccharide confers serotype specificity, and its detection in cerebrospinal fluid or serum by the latex agglutination test is used for diagnosis. Low-molecular-weight hydroxyethyl starches can be used as an alternative to albumin for vascular filling. This study reports the occurrence of a false-positive result with t...