After seeing these risks of infusion, would you still easily request infusion?

Most people believe that infusions are much more effective than taking medicines. So once you get sick and it's difficult to recover, you will choose to get an IV drip. But does an IV drip really speed up recovery?

In your opinion, how serious a disease is that that requires surgery?

Some people will answer heart disease and tumors, but if I tell you that you have had many "surgeries" for colds, fevers, and diarrhea since childhood, and it is very likely that they were done wrong, I guess everyone will ask: "What kind of surgery did I have? What are the risks?"

Don’t worry, I’ll answer you next.

A "surgery" that people often ask for

The daughter of a friend of Sheng Huiqiu, deputy director of the emergency department of Ruijin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, went to the emergency department for fever accompanied by sore throat, nasal congestion and runny nose, and was diagnosed with an upper respiratory tract infection. Dr. Sheng Huiqiu prescribed her antipyretics and other oral medications, and told her to rest more and drink more water. But her friend was not satisfied with her treatment and asked, "Can you give her some fluids so she can get better faster?"

Like Dr. Sheng Huiqiu’s friend, many people think of intravenous infusion as the first treatment method when they have “minor illnesses” such as colds, fevers, and diarrhea, thinking that this will “get better quickly.”

In fact, infusion is an invasive procedure, equivalent to a small "surgery". During the infusion process, the blood vessels need to be punctured and drugs that do not belong to the human body are injected into them. During this process, the sterility of the infusion drugs, equipment, environment, and operation will affect the safety of the infusion.

If you know the following risks, would you still easily ask for an infusion?

Infusion "Informed Consent"

There is a risk of infection, and once it occurs, it is indeed "fast enough". Topical medications, such as skin ointments and eye drops, usually work locally and have little effect on other parts of the body. Oral medications have a medium risk. Although they are absorbed through the gastrointestinal mucosa and enter the blood circulation throughout the body, they generally take 30 to 60 minutes to take effect and are "detoxified" through liver metabolism. They are relatively safe when used correctly.

Infusion carries the risk of infection because the drug enters the blood circulation directly and systemic symptoms will appear quickly if a problem occurs.

It increases the burden on the heart, and elderly people with heart disease are at greater risk.

Infusion requires the drug to be dissolved in saline or sugar water. If two bags of 500 ml of liquid are infused at a time, it is equivalent to increasing the blood volume by 1 liter in a short period of time.

A person weighing 60 kg normally has a total blood volume of about 4 to 5 liters. Roughly speaking, infusing 1 liter of fluid is equivalent to increasing the circulatory load by 20%. The elderly have poorer cardiopulmonary function, especially those with heart diseases such as heart failure, and the risk of frequent infusions is greater.

Higher risk of drug resistance and allergy.

Drug allergy may cause serious consequences such as shock. During infusion, the drug quickly enters the bloodstream, and the allergy may occur faster and the symptoms may be more severe. At the same time, if antibiotics are transfused, it is equivalent to bringing antibiotics throughout the body, which is more likely to cause drug resistance.

It may cause infusion reactions and may block blood vessels.

Infusion needs to follow the principle of sterility and is affected by the patient's physical condition, which may cause infusion reactions such as fever, anaphylactic shock, and phlebitis. Intravenous drugs inevitably contain particles, which, if lodged in tiny blood vessels, may aggregate and cause embolism.

Therefore, you should pay attention to observation during the infusion and do not leave the ward at will. If any obvious abnormality occurs, you should seek help from medical staff in time.

If you were shown an "informed consent form" like this every time you had an infusion, and it stated "I have understood the above risks and am willing to accept and bear them", would you still easily have an infusion because of a cold or fever?

It may not get better quickly, but you can’t just reject it blindly.

There are still a few questions about infusion that everyone must clarify.

Q: Does intravenous infusion really “heal quickly”?

Answer: Not necessarily.

Before infusion, especially antibiotic infusion, it is necessary to clarify whether it is a bacterial infection and what type of bacterial infection it is so that targeted medication can be used. Therefore, blood tests are required. Queuing, blood draws, tests, and waiting for results usually take 30 minutes or even longer. Sometimes a drug sensitivity test is required to see which drug the infecting bacteria is most sensitive to, which takes more time.

Many people complain that intravenous infusion is expensive, because in addition to the cost of the medicine, there are also costs for the tubes (such as infusion sets) and the infusion fees. The time cost of infusion is also high. Not only does it take 1 to 2 hours or even longer each time, but if it is an antibiotic infusion, it may take 3 consecutive days or even longer.

Q: The time cost can be shortened. Can't I just adjust the infusion faster myself?

A: If I tell you that infusing too quickly can damage your lungs, would you still dare to adjust it yourself?

Generally speaking, the infusion rate for adults is 40 to 60 drops per minute. The infusion rate should be slowed down for children and the elderly due to incomplete organ development or reduced function. The infusion rate for children is 20 to 40 drops/minute, and the infusion rate for the elderly should not exceed 40 drops/minute.

For patients with heart disease (especially heart failure) or lung disease, the infusion rate should be controlled at 30-40 drops per minute. Infusion that is too fast or too slow will affect the treatment effect.

If the infusion speed is too fast, it can easily increase the burden on the heart and cause adverse reactions such as heart failure or pulmonary edema. Patients with severe dehydration and shock often need rapid fluid replacement, and adjusting the fluid too slowly may not achieve the desired effect.

If you experience palpitations or heart palpitations during the infusion process, you must report it to the medical staff in time and do not adjust or conceal it on your own.

Q: Why did the doctor prescribe intravenous drip for me when I had diarrhea? Is this over-medicalization?

Answer: If you have diarrhea and vomiting to the point of feeling dizzy, it will be dangerous if you do not replenish fluids in time.

Diarrhea and vomiting may be caused by a variety of factors, and antibiotics are only required for bacterial infections. For those who are not severely dehydrated and can take fluids orally, oral rehydration is sufficient. However, if you are severely dehydrated, vomiting frequently, or unable to eat, you need to follow the doctor's advice to receive a sugar-salt solution infusion for fluid replacement.

If the body temperature of the common cold is less than 38.5℃, the fever can be relieved by physical methods such as drinking more water and taking warm water baths. If the body temperature is higher than 38.5℃, you can take antipyretics such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen orally. Generally, no infusion is required.

Finally, I would like to remind everyone that although intravenous infusion is not a panacea, it is not a "serious crime" either. In emergency rescue and critical care, infusion remains a very important method of medication.

Through strict control of infusion product quality and aseptic operation, the current infusion safety has been greatly improved. After various examinations, if the doctor believes that infusion is really necessary, you should not refuse, but follow the doctor's orders for infusion and pay attention to observe the symptoms. After reading this, will you still regard intravenous infusion as the "best" way to treat colds and fevers? If your relatives, friends, especially parents of children, still believe in intravenous infusion, please forward this "literacy post" about intravenous infusion to them.