sea and dizziness. It also increases discharge readiness.
Today's fluid management systems that provide real-time tempera-
ture, pressure, volume and deficit readings make it easy to monitor
the input and output of fluid during a procedure. This is particularly
important for procedures such as hysteroscopy, where fluid absorp-
tion can have a dire impact on patient outcomes, says Mary C. Wilson,
BSN, RN, CNOR, clinical preceptor at West Virginia University
Hospitals in Morgantown, W.Va.
"When you are doing a hysteroscopy, you must keep in mind that
the uterus is very vascular, particularly if you're taking out polyps and
exposing those vessels," says Ms. Wilson. "Once you have those ves-
sels exposed, then your body's going to start absorbing that fluid."
Also consider the overall health of your patient, says Ms. Wilson. A
young, healthy patient can tolerate and absorb extra fluid more so
than a patient with compromised kidney function or congestive heart
failure. "You have a smaller margin of error with these patients
because they can't tolerate absorbing more fluids," she says.
Features to look for
The clinical aim of intraoperative fluid therapy is to maintain an ade-
quate circulating volume to ensure end-organ perfusion and oxygen
delivery to the tissues. Here are some features to look for in a system.
• On-demand fluid warming. The ability to control the temperature of
fluids infused during procedures that use large volumes has a signif-
icant impact on the ability to maintain normothermia during those
procedures and consequently avoid the complications of hypother-
mia. "The ability to heat your fluids can be significant," says Ms.
Wilson. "If you're doing an extensive procedure like removing a
bladder tumor, you can significantly cool down a patient by pump-
ing that much room-temperature fluid into them."
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