brain injury

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi I just want to know for double confirmation .. Why its not advisable to administer dextrose 5% or dextrose saline to a patient with brain injury ... ? Thank you

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

What kind of brain injury? What is your thought process?

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What kind of brain injury? What is your thought process?

Brain injury that leads to cerebral edema on icp monitoring, meningitis.. What we taught is only normal saline ( sodium chloride ) is advisable seems the d5% or dextrose saline is contain of glucose and it's only the glucose will be absorb and the rest will be there

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In the PICU we routinely administer D5NS to head injury patients; we rarely, if ever, use D5W, and would not in the head injured patient. Some questions that you should ask yourself:

Is D5W hypo-, iso-, or hypertonic?

Is D5NS hypo-, iso-, or hypertonic?

What happens to the dextrose after administration, and what affect does this have on the tonicity of the IV fluid?

What effect will the tonicity have on fluid movement between the intra- and extravascular spaces?

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