Infusion to "reduce dryness" before flight
Yesterday afternoon, in the elevator, I met 2 people in medical uniforms and a middle-aged woman. She said that the next night she would fly to Europe for more than ten hours, so today she asked these 2 people to come for an IV drip to "reduce dryness".
I intended to remind him but was hesitant to interfere in personal matters. At home, the story made me think. Infusion is an invasive trick and not just infusion is beneficial.
In Hanoi and major cities, it is not difficult to encounter the need for intravenous fluids at home. It can be divided into 3 groups.
The first group are people with diseases or at risk of dehydration, such as elderly people with weakness, people with chronic diseases, fever, vomiting, diarrhea... This is a group that may need intravenous fluids but must be prescribed by a doctor.
If performed at home, it is necessary to clearly identify the type of fluid, dosage, and infusion rate; the performer must have expertise. The infusion fluid needs to be carefully checked for its name, expiration date, bag condition; the antiseptic and needle puncture process must ensure sterility. Throughout the infusion process, the patient needs to be monitored, and should not be left alone.
Being healthy should not arbitrarily infuse fluids.
The second group is healthy people who think they are "weak", need intravenous fluids to nourish themselves; or people who drink alcohol later want to quickly wake up to continue working.
This is also the group that often turns to service packages such as "liver detoxification infusion", "vitamin C infusion to increase resistance", "protein infusion for health"...
Infusion does not help the liver excrete alcohol faster. Bringing water, sugar, vitamins or other substances into the veins cannot replace the body's natural metabolism.
For healthy people, if there are no medical indications, the benefits of intravenous fluids for "nutrition" are often not commensurate with the risks that may occur.
The third group is those who receive infusions for beauty purposes such as whitening infusions, vitamin C, glutathione, collagen... at home or spa.
Using products of unknown origin, mixing many types, or using high doses can increase the risk of allergies, anaphylactic shock, infection, and other complications.
Many complications can occur
One of the notable risks is infection if the infusion process is not guaranteed to be sterile. Patients may have swelling, redness, pain at the infusion site, fever or chills.
Anaphylactic shock can also occur with medication or intravenous fluids. Signs such as rash, itching all over the body, shortness of breath, chest tightness, low blood pressure, lethargy... need to be treated immediately.
In addition, transmission too fast or too much can cause circulatory overload, pulmonary edema, especially in the elderly, people with cardiovascular disease or kidney failure. Other complications include varicose veins, angioedema, electrolyte disorders, and gas-induced blockage.
When infusion occurs with shortness of breath, chest pain, fainting, low blood pressure, high fever, chills, rash and swelling of the lips and eyes, the infusion site swelling rapidly, abnormal heartbeat or convulsions, it is necessary to stop infusion immediately and call emergency 115. Infusion or injection at home should only be performed when absolutely necessary and with appropriate indications.
For healthy people, instead of looking for a bottle of intravenous fluid to "get strength" before a long flight, drinking enough water, resting and maintaining a reasonable lifestyle is still a simpler and safer choice.
