Commodities are raw materials intended for use or consumption. There are three main commodity classifications: Agriculture commodities (often referred to as soft commodities), energy commodities, and metal commodities (referred to as hard commodities). The most commonly traded commodities are crude oil, gold, silver, and copper. Commodity markets can include physical delivery, referred to as a spot contract. Most trades, however, are carried out through derivative trading using futures, forwards, CFD's, and options.
Donna Perrin, RGN, is practice development sister, A&E, Frimley Park Hospital, Surrey. Fluid resuscitation is one of the most important aspects of the acute medical management of critically ill patients.
Critical care physicians should consider the use of resuscitation fluids as they would the use of any other intravenous drug. The selection of the specific fluid should be based on indications, contraindications, and potential toxic effects in order to maximize efficacy and minimize toxicity.he study showed no significant difference between albumin and saline with respect to the rate of death (relative risk, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.91 to 1.09; P=0.87) or the development of new organ failure. Additional analyses from the SAFE study provided new insights into fluid resuscitation among patients in the ICU.