IV therapy involves a patient having certain solutions, medications or blood products infused intravenously into the bloodstream. It is often used for patients who are unable to receive a medication or other necessary fluid orally because they are unable to swallow. It is also used for those patients who need to absorb certain fluids more quickly to treat a certain condition that might not be treated in a timely manner if taken orally. These are some of the different reasons IV therapy treatments may be necessary.

Rehydration Of The Body

In order to remain healthy, the body must contain a specific amount of fluids and electrolytes. If a person becomes severely dehydrated there is a risk that the organs will begin shutting down and even death could result if the body is not rehydrated. This often occurs with various viral infections or gastrointestinal conditions that cause a patient to have vomiting or diarrhea. When fluids are replaced through IV therapy, this can greatly improve the patient's health. Fluid replacement through IV therapy is also commonly used during surgical procedures to prevent the patient from becoming dehydrated should a substantial amount of fluids be lost during surgery.

Administering Medications 

There are certain medications that can be absorbed better and treat a patient's health problems more quickly through IV therapy treatments. For instance, if a patient suffers from pneumonia, it may be necessary to treat him with strong antibiotics to completely get rid of any infection in the lungs. Therefore, administering those antibiotics through IV therapy is the best option to help the patient get well more quickly. Cancer patients are commonly given chemotherapy treatments intravenously. Cancer is a deadly disease that can quickly spread throughout the body. IV chemotherapy treatments have been very successful at killing cancer cells and preventing the disease from spreading for many patients.

Administering Blood Or Blood Products 

IV therapy is also used to administer blood and blood products to patients. If a patient needs a blood transfusion, this can only be done through IV therapy treatments. These types of treatments are often used during surgeries, to treat medical conditions in which the patient has lost too much blood due to a severe injury or to treat patients who cannot produce an adequate amount of red blood cells in their bodies naturally. Blood plasma is also administered through IV therapy treatments. Receiving blood plasma through IV therapy helps the body circulate blood throughout the body properly and helps remove waste from the body as well.

If a patient does not get enough nutrients and vitamins into the body from eating healthy foods and taking them orally, these nutrients and vitamins can also be administered through IV therapy. For example, if a patient has low blood iron levels and cannot tolerate taking high dose iron pills, the iron levels can be increased after having several intravenous iron infusion treatments.