Oregon Health & Science University is overseeing the Portland-area portion of the study, to determine whether different types of saline solutions can improve survival rates in severely injured people.

The study was originally scheduled to start in November in 10 regions in the United States and Canada. It was postponed so the hospitals could standardize their methods of collecting study data.

Paramedics currently treat trauma victims with intravenous saline, which is water with the same salt content as blood: about 0.9 percent.

This study will determine whether hypertonic saline -- about 7.5 percent salt -- improves survival or recovery of brain function. A hypertonic solution with dextran, an added sugar molecule, also will be part of the study.

Most emergency-response crews in Clark County will take part. Paramedics won't know if they are providing regular saline, hypertonic saline or hypertonic with dextran.

Vancouver's two hospitals, Southwest Washington Medical Center and Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital, are study partners.

The study will continue until 3,000 patients in the 10 regions have been included.

Patients eligible for this study will be severely injured and unable to provide informed consent, so the study will be conducted under FDA rules allowing research of some emergency treatments without the patient's prior consent.

This is OHSU's first participation in the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (ROC) funded by the National Institutes of Health. OHSU will take part later this year in a study of a device designed to help people doing CPR get more oxygen to trauma victims.

Update

* Previously: Two months ago, the Food and Drug Administration postponed a study of a new saline solution for trauma victims.

* What's new: The FDA has told Oregon Health & Science University and nine other regional centers in the U.S. and Canada to start the study.

* What's next: Most emergency medical responders in Clark County will start using the study solutions on Monday.