Saturday, July 31, 2010

Common Bad Effects of Weight Gain--Edited

Self evident is a patient's struggles to survive when 40 pounds of edema loads an ICU patient .  He can't even bend his arms!  A ventilator struggles to push aside edema fluid.

Emergency Room started "normal" saline IV.  A swelled abdomen squeezed kidneys, slowing blood flow--a strong signal to retain salt and water.  Urine output falls.  Speed the IV.  Abdomen grows tighter--speed the IV!  A viscous cycle is started.

Instead raise serum albumin by giving 25%--moves fluids from edema to vessels.  25% moves fluid from where excess intercellular fluid clogs the system instead 25% moves fluid into vessels where fluid is needed.  Important point!  You want proof?  Check urine Na on a random spec from the catheter of an edematous patient--Na almost absent.  Check after 25% albumin. Urine Na will rise.  Higher urine Na is a sign to you that kidneys release Na, and edema, because of better renal blood flow.

No comments:

Post a Comment