Drinking water for low BP or blood loss

Alex Egan, LPN, EMT-B · Sep 27, 2018

Surprisingly little water can make a difference in my opinion. When I did dialysis we would have some patents who would bottom pit after treatment had terminated and access had been discontinued. 240ml of water and a bit of time usually get the no wothin range.

Guest219794 · Sep 27, 2018

Is this real? Can drinking a lot of water really help counterbalance low blood pressure or blood loss?
To the point where a nurse could encourage patients with low-ish blood pressure to drink more water to bring it up?
Or encourage it to counterbalance blood loss for postpartum moms and girls with heavy periods?
Or recommend it to a teen in the ER who had a sports accident and lost some blood (but not enough to warrant hospitalization or IV)?
Or when you drink a lot of water, do you just pee it all out, with no systemic effects?
Here's an article that I found interesting. I don't know if my question is stupid. I would love to hear what y'all say about this.
Plain water has surprising impact on blood pressure (07/8/10)

Look at it this way- If I stop drinking, I will become dehydrated. So, if I drink.....

The best way for the body to maintain fluid balance is through drinking- it's how we are built. As far as just peeing it out: Think about how the water in the stomach makes it to the bladder.

Drinking water will help maintain pressure in blood loss, but, just like IVF, it does not do the job of blood.

"Or recommend it to a teen in the ER who had a sports accident and lost some blood (but not enough to warrant hospitalization or IV"

Believe me, any teen with enough blood loss to warrant any hemodynamic interventions is going to the hospital. Think about how much blood people donate. The treatment for 500 ml blood loss? A nice cup of juice, a cookie, and little sticker that says "I gave blood". If a kid on a sports team lost half that volume, people would freak out. Imagine a dumping a coffee cup worth of blood on a soccer jersey.

cleback · Sep 27, 2018

We used to do this a lot in inpatient psych for low bps and no iv access (not for acute blood though).

Rocknurse, MSN, APRN, NP · Sep 27, 2018

Think about it this way...where do you think the water you drink goes? You don't just drink it and it comes straight out. When you drink water it is absorbed systemically and your renin-angiotensin determines how much water/sodium you absorb. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) or the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is a hormone system that regulates blood pressure and fluid balance. This increases the volume of extracellular fluid in the body, which also increases blood pressure. Your kidneys also filter fluid, deciding whether to keep or expel fluid based on your hemodynamics and electrolytes. Your heart needs to achieve a certain cardiac output, however it varies due to hydrostatic pressure and osmotic pressure. Bottom line is, if you drink water your entire body volume will increase, so yes it can increase your cardiac output and in turn your blood pressure.

offlabel · Sep 27, 2018

I thought it was a pretty interesting question. We're used to thinking about fluid that effects blood volume being via a vein, not the gastric and intestinal mucosa. Further when we think of volume expansion, we're accustomed to thinking of it as immediate and not gradual.

Good discussion.

Trauma Columnist · Sep 30, 2018

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missmollie, ADN, BSN, RN · Sep 30, 2018

If I have to obtain IV access and the veins are flat, I will encourage them to drink two cups of water (400 mLs) and try again in an hour. Works like a charm.