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PurposeAfter cardiac surgery, fluid bolus therapy (FBT) with 20% human albumin may facilitate less fluid and vasopressor administration than FBT with crystalloids. We aimed to determine whether, after cardiac surgery, FBT with 20% albumin reduces the duration of vasopressor therapy compared with crystalloid FBT.MethodsWe conducted a multicentre, parallel-group, open-label, randomised clinical trial in six intensive care units (ICUs) involving cardiac surgery patients deemed to require FBT. We randomised 240 patients to receive up to 400 mL of 20% albumin/day as FBT, followed by 4% albumin for any subsequent FBT on that day, or to crystalloid FBT for at least the first 1000 mL, with use of crystalloid or 4% albumin FBT thereafter. The primary outcome was the cumulative duration of vasopressor therapy. Secondary outcomes included fluid balance.ResultsOf 480 randomised patients, 466 provided consent and contributed to the primary outcome (mean age 65 years; median EuroSCORE II 1.4). The cumulative median duration of vasopressor therapy was 7 (interquartile range [IQR] 0–19.6) hours with 20% albumin and 10.8 (IQR 0–22.8) hours with crystalloids (difference − 3.8 h, 95% confidence interval [CI] − 8 to 0.4; P = 0.08). Day one fluid balance was less with 20% albumin FBT (mean difference − 701 mL, 95% CI − 872 to − 530).ConclusionsIn patients after cardiac surgery, when compared to a crystalloid-based FBT, 20% albumin FBT was associated with a reduced positive fluid balance but did not significantly reduce the duration of vasopressor therapy.