Documentation of Fluid Balance of Patients on Intravenous Therapy in a University Hospital in Ghana

Abstract

Fluid makes up about 60percent of the total body weight (White, 1998). Thus, maintaining a balanced body fluid is essential and requires that the volume of fluid intake and fluid loss are similar (Diacon & Bell, 2014). The brain, the adrenal glands and the kidneys regulate the body’s fluid balance through a finely balanced mechanism (Tortora & Grabowski, 2002). However, many diseases can potentially disrupt this mechanism that control the intake and output of water and solute (Verbalis, 2003). Inadequate fluid intake or excessive fluid loss may lead to dehydration, which in turn can affect renal and cardiac function as well as electrolyte management (Scales & Pilsworth, 2008). In healthy patients, increased ingestion of fluids of all kinds contributes to maintaining fluid balance, but in some patients, Intravenous (IV) therapy can be a lifesaver.