Blood, Electrolytes, and Intravenous Infusions
2-12
2-12. REPLACING ABNORMAL FLUID LOSS
When fluid and electrolyte loss becomes abnormal, the medical specialist, the physician assistant, or the physician has two means of correcting the fluid and electrolyte balance--oral (by mouth) and intravenous.
a. Oral Route. The safest route is oral. For example, a person on thiazide diuretics may be given orange juice or tablets to replace the potassium needed. This is the preferred route since the patient is able to move freely and the psychological problems of intravenous administration are not present.
b. Intravenous Route. The intravenous route makes it possible to control the volume of fluid and the numbers of electrolytes to be given. Infection can be caused by a contaminated intravenous solution, administration set, or administration site. This will complicate the recovery of an already ill or injured patient. Another consideration is the total volume of fluid to be administered to the patient over a given time period.
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Generally, an adult patient should not receive more than four liters (4,000 milliliters) of intravenous fluid over a 24-hour period. A careful record must be kept of the volume of fluid administered since this must be taken into account when calculating a patient's fluid intake and output. The renal condition of the patient also affects the volume of intravenous solution to be administered. When the patient has impaired kidney function, you must be very careful not to overload the patient's system.
