Injuries and wounds: Parkland formula: practice question

A Forensic 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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Forensic Medicine · Injuries and wounds: Parkland formula

Sample item

An adult weighing 70 kg has flame burns over 40 percent of the total body surface area. Using the Parkland formula (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

C. 5600 mL

The Parkland formula gives 4 x 70 x 40 = 11200 mL over the first 24 hours. Half of this, 5600 mL, is given in the first 8 hours counted from the time of the burn, and the other half over the next 16 hours.

Option by option

  • A. 8400 mL

    This is three-quarters of the total, which is not how the formula is divided.

  • B. 11200 mL

    This is the whole 24-hour requirement, not the amount for the first 8 hours.

  • C. 5600 mL (correct)

    Correct. 11200 mL is the 24-hour total, and half of it goes in the first 8 hours.

  • D. 2800 mL

    This is a quarter of the total and would underresuscitate the patient in the early phase.

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.

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Questions about this Forensic Medicine question

What is the answer to this Forensic Medicine question?

The best answer is C, 5600 mL. The Parkland formula gives 4 x 70 x 40 = 11200 mL over the first 24 hours.

Why is "8400 mL" not the answer?

This is three-quarters of the total, which is not how the formula is divided.

Why is "11200 mL" not the answer?

This is the whole 24-hour requirement, not the amount for the first 8 hours.

Why is "2800 mL" not the answer?

This is a quarter of the total and would underresuscitate the patient in the early phase.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Injuries and wounds: Parkland formula in Forensic Medicine. Half of this, 5600 mL, is given in the first 8 hours counted from the time of the burn, 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 Injuries and wounds: Parkland formula?

Learn postmortem changes with their timelines, and toxicology as poison, sign, test and antidote. Then use the flashcards and the other Forensic 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.