What Is Intravenous Therapy?
When it comes to needing medication, we often think of pills, injections and patches. However, the rate at which the medications are absorbed by us from these methods is slow when compared to intravenous (IV) therapy. Although IV therapy is one of the quickest ways to get medication to where it's needed in the body, it also offers other benefits to the patient--and some can be lifesaving.
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IV Basics
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As the name implies, IV therapy is a procedure in which medication and fluids are introduced into a vein so they travel to the lungs and then travel in arteries throughout the body. In order to do this, the skin, after cleansing, is punctured and a channel established for medication and fluids. In most cases, this is accomplished by a hollow needle and plastic catheter combination, sometimes referred to as an IV stick. A tourniquet is placed above a possible site to encourage veins to slightly bulge, a suitable vein is selected, the site cleansed, and the patient's skin is pierced with an IV stick. If the stick is successfully placed, the catheter is advanced into the vein and the hollow needle is withdrawn, leaving the catheter within the vein. The tourniquet is removed. The tubing, which is attached to the IV bag or bottle of solution, has already been attached to the end of the catheter's base by a health care professional. The bag or bottle of solution is kept above the patient to ensure flow.
Controls
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The tubing of an IV has a plastic control or is placed through an electronic device to regulate the flow of fluid. At the base of the bag or bottle is a drip chamber that functions in part as a visual verification of the flow of fluid.
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Medication
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The selection of the base fluid depends upon the condition of the patient. Some of the substances the base fluid might be include D5W (a solution of 5 percent dextrose), lactated Ringer's, or normal saline. At the bottom of the solution container are ports by which medication may be injected into the solution and then mixed, or by which another bag containing medicine may be attached. There's at least one additional port for injection of medication along the tubing. This spares the patient from multiple painful needle sticks.
Lifesaving Action
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Though the usual purpose of the base fluid is to establish a flow for any IV medication, there are times when the fluid functions as a lifesaving mechanism. For example, when blood has been lost and no blood is available to be transfused, lactated Ringer's serves to replace up to two-thirds of blood volume until a blood transfusion is available.
A Lifeline
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Although medication might not be initially injected, the establishment of an IV is a means to ensure that a person can get medication for possible recovery from clinical death (the cessation of heart and lung function). The patient has no blood pressure when clinical death occurs, so it's best to establish an IV line ahead of time. In emergency care, most jurisdictions have an established medical protocol that dictates an IV be set up when emergency personnel ascertain that the patient might be suffering from a fatal condition.
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