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Discussion

Crystalloids vs. Colloids

Hello!

I need help understanding the action of these fluids. When I was reading about beta blocker overdose it stated that resuscitative measures included using crystalloid fluids. Here is why I am confused. Betablocker overdose would obviously cause bradycardia and hypotension. So wouldn't you want to increase volume in vascular compartment? Crystalloids expand the interstitial compartments... I am not understanding how this fluid helps with this? HELP! thanks!

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    • Featured Replies

    Regarding crystalloids it depends on the osmolality. So pt is hypotensive, if you give normal saline it will help to bring that BP up bc the fluid stays in the vessel.

    Hope that helps ...

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    One way to expand intravascular volume is to fill the vasculature with some substance that exerts high oncotic pressure and pulls fluid from the interstitial space into the intravascular space.

    Questions like this are why I say I believe chemistry should be a required prerequisite for all nursing programs.

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    • Author

    Well I took 2 chemistry's...I understand that but in my reading it stated that the crystalloids expand the interstitial volume thats not the vascular compartment... this is what I read which is why I got confused.

    "This means that the predominant effect of volume resuscitation with crystalloid fluids is to expand the interstitial volume rather than the plasma volume"

    So you are saying that crystalloids cause the shift from the interstitial space into the vascular space? I guess that sentence I read just threw me off.

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    • Author

    Never mind I got. Just had to read a little more. Thank you!

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