What is the Parkland formula?

The Parkland formula estimates the fluid a burn patient needs in the first 24 hours: 4 mL of Ringer's lactate per kilogram of body weight per percent of total body surface area burned. Half is given in the first 8 hours and half over the following 16 hours.

When does the 8-hour clock start?

It starts at the time of the burn injury, not the time of hospital arrival. If two hours have already passed before resuscitation begins, the first half must be delivered over the remaining six hours, so the initial rate is higher.

What counts toward percent TBSA?

Only second-degree (partial-thickness) and deeper burns are counted. Superficial first-degree burns, like simple sunburn, are excluded. Extent is usually estimated with the rule of nines in adults or a Lund-Browder chart for greater accuracy and in children.

Is the calculated volume a fixed target?

No. The Parkland number is only a starting estimate. The infusion is then titrated to physiological endpoints, chiefly a urine output of about 0.5 mL/kg/hr in adults and 1 mL/kg/hr in children, adjusting up or down as needed.

Which fluid does the formula use?

Lactated Ringer's solution is the standard crystalloid for Parkland resuscitation. Colloids and other fluids are sometimes added later in the course, but the formula itself specifies Ringer's lactate for the first 24 hours.

Parkland Burn Formula — IV Fluid Resuscitation

The Parkland formula is the most widely taught method for estimating intravenous fluid needs in the first 24 hours after a significant burn. Severe burns cause massive fluid shifts out of the circulation, and under-resuscitation leads to shock while over-resuscitation causes oedema and compartment syndrome, so a defensible starting estimate matters.

How it works

The total 24-hour volume is a simple product, then split across two timed phases:

total 24h = 4 mL x weight(kg) x %TBSA
first 8h  = total / 2   (timed from the moment of injury)
next 16h  = total / 2

The infusion rate for each phase is just the phase volume divided by its duration. Because the clock starts at the time of the burn rather than at arrival, any pre-hospital delay shortens the first window and raises the early rate.

Example and notes

A 70 kg adult with 30% TBSA burns needs 4 x 70 x 30 = 8400 mL in 24 hours: 4200 mL over the first 8 hours (about 525 mL/hr) and 4200 mL over the next 16 hours (about 263 mL/hr). Treat these figures as a starting point and titrate to a urine output of roughly 0.5 mL/kg/hr in adults. The formula tends to overestimate in very large burns, where modern practice often starts lower and adjusts upward.