Emergency and critical care: Parkland formula: practice question

A General Medicine question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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General Medicine · Emergency and critical care: Parkland formula

Sample item

A 70 kg adult has 30 percent total body surface area partial and full thickness burns. Using the Parkland formula of 4 mL per kg per percent burn with Ringer lactate, how much fluid should be given in the first 8 hours after the burn?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

B. 4200 mL

The total for 24 hours is 4 x 70 x 30, which is 8400 mL. Half of this, 4200 mL, is given in the first 8 hours from the time of injury, and the other half over the next 16 hours.

Option by option

  • A. 1050 mL

    This is one-eighth of the 24-hour need and badly underestimates resuscitation.

  • B. 4200 mL (correct)

    Correct. Half of the 8400 mL total goes in the first 8 hours.

  • C. 8400 mL

    This is the full 24-hour requirement rather than the first 8 hours.

  • D. 2100 mL

    This uses 2 mL per kg per percent and halves it again.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More General Medicine questions

Questions about this General Medicine question

What is the answer to this General Medicine question?

The best answer is B, 4200 mL. The total for 24 hours is 4 x 70 x 30, which is 8400 mL.

Why is "1050 mL" not the answer?

This is one-eighth of the 24-hour need and badly underestimates resuscitation.

Why is "8400 mL" not the answer?

This is the full 24-hour requirement rather than the first 8 hours.

Why is "2100 mL" not the answer?

This uses 2 mL per kg per percent and halves it again.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Emergency and critical care: Parkland formula in General Medicine. Half of this, 4200 mL, is given in the first 8 hours from the time of injury, and the other half over the next 16 hours.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Emergency and critical care: Parkland formula?

For each disease know the classic presentation, the best test, and the first-line treatment. Then use the flashcards and the other General Medicine questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.