Plasma volume, tissue oedema, and the steady-state Starling principle

Key points•Achieving an optimal plasma volume without causing oedema has long been an ideal goal; ‘the challenge is to keep fluid in the intravascular space’.•Appreciating the kinetics of extracellular fluid (ECF) circulation from plasma, through the interstitial space, and returning to veins via the lymphatics is the key to optimizing the distribution of ECF.•Hydrostatic pressure is the Starling force driving filtration of fluid from the...