The research focused on fluid therapy, one of the fundamental pillars of hospital care during the first hours of admission. The objective was to compare the efficacy of physiological saline and Ringer's Lactate, the two fluids most widely used worldwide to ensure hydration and the correct functioning of patients' organs.
The results, recently presented at the Digestive Disease Week 2026 congress in Chicago, have shown that there are no significant clinical differences between both treatments. Parameters such as pain intensity, duration of hospital stay, local complications, or mortality did not vary significantly depending on the fluid administered.
The project, which involved 47 hospitals in 18 countries, involved four years of continuous work. Coordination from the Dr. Balmis General University Hospital was key to completing patient recruitment in a record time of a year and a half, a feat described as unprecedented in this medical field.
“"With nearly 800 patients recruited, WATERLAND becomes the international clinical trial with the largest number of participants conducted on acute pancreatitis to date and the most international one."
The conclusions of this study will force a review of the recommendations of international clinical guidelines, which until now placed Ringer's Lactate as the fluid of choice. The multidisciplinary team at the Dr. Balmis General University Hospital highlighted the essential collaboration of nursing staff and the Biliopancreatic Unit in the success of this scientific project.
