The present study examines the effects of resuscitation fluid composition on myocardial function, myocardial high-energy phosphate content, and survival following third-degree anesthetic burn to 35-40% body surface area in the guinea pig. Treatment regimens used were 1) no resuscitation, 2) isotonic saline, 3) Ringer's lactate and 4) Ringer's acetate. Fluids were administered at the rate of 0.334 ml/kg/hr/% burn for 4 hr following injury, at which time myocardial function was assessed. Nonburned animals served as controls. In isolated working hearts, significant depression of myocardial function was observed in nonresuscitated and saline-resuscitated animals as evidenced by decreased cardiac output, dP/dt, -dP/dt, and stroke work. Lactate resuscitation produced some improvement in these parameters but did not restore them to those of nonburned control animals. In contrast, Ringer's acetate resuscitation resulted in normal cardiac output and contractility. Myocardial ATP content of hearts obtained from the various resuscitation groups did not differ from that of nonburned control hearts, except for hearts from Ringer's lactate group, which were significantly lower in myocardial ATP than those of the other groups. No differences were found in creatine phosphate content. Resuscitation with the different fluid regimens for 48 hr produced significant differences in survival. Fluids were given at the rate of 4 ml/kg/% burn for 24 hr. Half of the fluid was given in the first 8 hr and the rest during the remaining 16 hr. Nonresuscitated and saline-resuscitated animals showed significant mortality by 24 hr, whereas lactate- and acetate-treated animals had survival rates of 100% and 87.5%, respectively. However, by 48 hr, only acetate-treated animals survived. These data indicate that important differences exist in the effectiveness of different resuscitation fluids and that Ringer's lactate, the fluid most often utilized clinically, may not provide optimum benefit. In light of these results, serious consideration should be given to the substitution of acetate for lactate during the resuscitation of burn shock patients.