Düns

Düns is a municipality in the district of Feldkirch in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg.

Population

References

Intravenous sugar solution

An intravenous sugar solution is a solution with a sugar (usually glucose, as known as dextrose, with water as the solvent) used for intravenous therapy, where it may function both as a means of maintaining tissue hydration and a means of parenteral nutrition. Most IV sugar solutions are crystalloid solutions.

Types

Types of glucose/dextrose include:

The percentage is a mass percentage, so a 5% glucose/dextrose solution contains 50 g/L of glucose/dextrose (Quite simply, 5% dextrose means the solution contains 5g/100ml of solution).

Glucose provides energy 4 kcal/gram, so a 5% glucose solution provides 0.2 kcal/ml. If prepared from dextrose monohydrate, which provides 3.4 kcal/gram, a 5% solution provides 0.17 kcal/ml.

Volume expander

A volume expander is a type of intravenous therapy that has the function of providing volume for the circulatory system. It may be used for fluid replacement.

Physiology

When blood is lost, the greatest immediate need is to stop further blood loss. The second greatest need is replacing the lost volume. This way remaining red blood cells can still oxygenate body tissue. Normal human blood has a significant excess oxygen transport capability, only used in cases of great physical exertion. Provided blood volume is maintained by volume expanders, a rested patient can safely tolerate very low haemoglobin levels, less than 1/3 that of a healthy person.

The body automatically detects the lower haemoglobin level, and compensatory mechanisms start up. The heart pumps more blood with each beat. Since the lost blood was replaced with a suitable fluid, the now diluted blood flows more easily, even in the small vessels. As a result of chemical changes, more oxygen is released to the tissues. These adaptations are so effective that if only half of the red blood cells remain, oxygen delivery may still be about 75 percent of normal. A patient at rest uses only 25 percent of the oxygen available in his blood. In extreme cases, patients have survived with a haemoglobin level of 2 g/dl, about 1/7 the norm, although levels this low are very dangerous.