A nurse may never have put you on an IV, or drip as they're popularly called, but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.. And it is that this more than well-known element is one of the most common treatments in hospitals around the world, either to hydrate the patient, to provide blood volume or to administer medications. It is so common because, by injecting it directly into the bloodstream, we get that drug to start acting in a few seconds.
Get comfortable and get ready to learn everything about this world of bottles that give us life.
How many types of serums are there?
In the hospital pharmacy service we can find about twenty different types of intravenous fluids that are divided into two large groups, crystalloids and colloids.. But those that are used regularly on a day-to-day basis are only five: physiological, glucose, glucose, ringer lactate and albumin are among the most in demand in this hospital open bar.
What are they for?
This is something that will depend on the type of serum that they are administering to us.. To provide us with water and mineral salts in case we are dehydrated, to inject ourselves with a little glucose and salts when we cannot eat or drink, to ensure that we have more volume of blood circulating through our blood vessels in the event of a haemorrhage, to regulate our sodium levels within the body..
Is it true that whey feeds?
Whey is not a food, it cannot be considered as such, and is that it lacks, for example, proteins or lipids. What it does achieve is keep the patient hydrated and even provide a certain amount of calories.
In cases where a patient cannot eat normally for an extended period of time, these intravenous drips are replaced by others known as parenteral nutrition: a bag larger than a normal drip, and usually with a fluid of white color inside, which is prepared à la carte in the hospital Pharmacy service with the specific needs of salts, lipids, vitamins or proteins of each patient.
If they give me an IV bag, does it have to go through all of it?
Usually not. It is not necessary for the serum bag to pass completely into our blood before it can be removed, unless that bag contains drugs that do have to be administered or we need a specific amount of serum volume..
What if the IV stops dripping?
If we have an IV continuously and it stops dripping, it is advisable to notify the nurse. And it is that we run the risk of the line becoming clogged and stop working, even some blood coming out of our vein towards the rubber of the drip, which may end up in the need to remove that line and having to put another one. .. no one likes to be poked anymore.
How many hours does it take to pass a serum?
There is no defined time, everything will depend on what that patient needs and what the serum contains. It is possible that they put us on a dropper that has to pass in fifteen minutes, in four hours or in twelve. If we want to know, we just have to ask the nurse.
Why are some serums put in with a machine?
Infusion pumps are highly advanced machines that we sometimes use to administer intravenous fluids.. We do this when we need the speed at which that serum enters to be very measured and controlled, since otherwise it could have important consequences for your health.
Is it dangerous that there are bubbles in the serum?
It is something that generally worries patients and their companions a lot, but they are neither dangerous nor will they cause an embolism. The amount of air that can be filtered into our circulatory system is so small that it is far from causing us problems.
Is it true that there are hot and cold serums?
Yes, and it is something that is used especially in special services such as the operating room or emergencies. They are the same serums that we have talked about so far, but they are kept in refrigerators or passed through heaters that raise their temperature to the necessary point. They are used, for example, in patients with hypothermia to progressively raise their temperature.