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Parkland Burn Fluid Calculator

Estimate 24-hour burn fluid with the Parkland formula

Result

8400 mL
4200 mL

How it is calculated

The tool computes V = 4 × W × T, where W is body weight in kg, T is the percentage of total body surface area burned (a whole-number percent, 30 for 30%) and V is the 24-hour fluid volume in mL. The first-8-hours figure is simply V / 2; the other half is the remainder of the 24 hours. Both results are rounded to whole millilitres. Weight must be above zero and TBSA must be between 0 and 100, otherwise no result is shown. The clock starts at the time of injury, and the volume is a starting estimate to be adjusted clinically.

Worked example

An adult weighs 70 kg with 30% TBSA burned. Total: 4 × 70 × 30 = 8400 mL over 24 hours. First 8 hours: 8400 / 2 = 4200 mL. The remaining 4200 mL is the other half of the day's total.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Entering TBSA as a fraction (0.3) instead of a percent (30), which gives a volume 100 times too small.
  • Entering weight in pounds; the formula needs kilograms.
  • Counting the first 8 hours from arrival at hospital instead of from the time of the burn.
  • Including superficial (first-degree) burn area in TBSA; the percentage should reflect the area you intend to count under your protocol.
  • Treating the result as a fixed prescription rather than a starting estimate that is adjusted to the patient's response.

About this calculator

The Parkland formula estimates 24-hour fluid resuscitation as 4 mL × body weight (kg) × % total body surface area (TBSA) burned, using lactated Ringer's solution. Half of that total is given in the first 8 hours from the time of injury — not from arrival at hospital — and the remaining half over the next 16 hours.

Burn units, emergency physicians and paramedics use it as the starting point for resuscitating major burns, since under-resuscitation risks organ failure from shock while over-resuscitation causes its own complications like compartment syndrome — the formula gives a defensible first estimate that's then adjusted against the patient's urine output.

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