Hypervolemia and Hypovolemia
One of the greatest lessons that I have learned about nursing school is that it offers the best training that makes it possible to end up with fully-based practitioners. While at the nursing school, I have learned about essential aspects of nursing such as the pathophysiology of various conditions and the care plans that are used in the management of the conditions. In this journal, I reflect on the academic transformation that I have had in nursing school. My explanation of the gained experience is displayed in my understanding of the two basic disorders; hypervolemia and hypovolemia.
Prior my acceptance in nursing school, I had no slightest clue about the differences between the two conditions. I think that I confused the two with hyperkalemia. I have, however, gained the necessary training and I am happy that I know what the conditions mean their causes and the treatment options that can be used for each. Hypervolemia is a condition that is caused by the failure of the kidney to get rid of excess water and wastes from the blood. Hypervolemia thus results in an increased intravascular volume (Engquist et al., 2020). On the other hand, hypovolemia is a condition that leads to a decrease in the intravascular fluid as a result of fluid losses resulting from injuries (Kingston et al., 2020).
Apart from the definitions of the conditions and their causes, I have realized that the conditions equally differ in the methods of treatment. Hypovolemia is managed through the transfusion of blood or administration of intravenous fluids (Kingston et al., 2020). On the other hand, the treatment options available for hypervolemia involve the use of diuretics and monitoring of fluid intake. Regarding the similarities, the two conditions lead to changes in intravascular volume. I aspire to use the gained skills from the nursing school to positively impact the quality of life of the patient I will care for.
References
Engquist, H., Lewén, A., Hillered, L., Ronne-Engström, E., Nilsson, P., Enblad, P., & Rostami, E. (2020). CBF changes and cerebral energy metabolism during hypervolemia, hemodilution, and hypertension therapy in patients with poor-grade subarachnoid hemorrhage. Journal of Neurosurgery, 1(a), 1-10.
Kingston, H. W., Ghose, A., Rungpradubvong, V., Satitthummanid, S., Herdman, M. T., Plewes, K., … & Schultz, M. J. (2020). Reduced cardiac index reserve and hypovolemia in severe falciparum malaria. The Journal of infectious diseases, 221(9), 1518-1527.
Concept Maps
Hypovolemia
Hypervolemia Concept Map