Should the replacement of acute blood loss with non-red blood cell solutions in the elderly be called resuscitation or embalming?

The use of non-RBC fluid (allowing cardiac output to increase and oxygen delivery to be maintained) rather than RBCs in the actively bleeding patient is tolerated in the healthy young patient, as they may endure an isovolaemic drop in haemoglobin by up to 70%. However, in the elderly patient (eg 65 years and older) with cardiovascular comorbid conditions, any acute drop in haemoglobin can be hazardous; deliberate isovolaemic resuscitation using non-RBC fluid rather than RBC in this group may reflect more a process of embalming rather than resuscitation. (non-author abstract)