Is hydration an invasive procedure?

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Apr 17, 2005

I see you have a couple of questions here regarding invasive vs. not invasive.

Try to see it this way:

Any time you have to poke through the skin for a procedure, it's invasive.

Therefore, if I hydrate a patient by making that patient drink a lot of fluids, it's not invasive. But if I hydrate that patient by poking their skin to start an IV, it is invasive.

Likewise, in your other question, ABGs are invasive because the needle does poke through the skin to get to the artery. The other blood draws we do take venous blood. So both are invasive.

Hope that helped.

SmilingBluEyes · Apr 17, 2005

If it's not PO hydration then YEP it is invasive.

studious · Apr 17, 2005

I am stumped on this one. I am a student and I think there is going to be a question on it. I think it is because IVs go inside of you for hydration, normal saline, right or wrong? Thanks for your reply

Doesn't have to be normal saline, the docs can interchange with, normal saline, glucose, and potassium. As well as hydrating the patient these fluids can also maintain adequate urea and electrolyte balance.