Basic principles of infusion therapy

Abstract

Infusion therapy (IT) is an essential tool for influencing homeostasis and an integral part of the complex treatment of urgent conditions and chronic diseases accompanied by fluid and electrolyte balance disorders. To this day the features of infusion therapy remain one of the most controversial and poorly studied topics, despite the centuries-old use of this method of treatment. Rational use of IT requires a clear understanding of the pathophysiological changes occurring in the patient’s body during acute and chronic pathology. Its main tasks are the elimination of volemic disorders, replenishment of circulating blood volume, restoration of microcirculation, as well as detoxification and elimination of hemocoagulation disorders. IT acquires particular importance as parenteral nutrition, with limited or excluded possibility of the enteral route of absorption of water, nutrients, and drugs. In the work, the authors focused on clinical and laboratory diagnostics and possible options for correcting acid-base, energy, fluid, and electrolyte disorders. The sequence of actions when prescribing IT is presented in detail; the criteria for calculating the volume of therapy and the initial selection of colloids or crystalloids for a specific clinical situation are considered.