Topic of the Month:
Permissive Hypotension
Have you ever had a bleeding tauma patient that was given 2, 3, or 4 bags of NS or LR? I remember thinking, "I have to get their blood pressure up. After 2-3 bags of NS there pressure was up! But wait, the pt kept bleeding and bleeding. Why? To answer this read below.
Permissive hypotension or hypotensive resuscitation is the use of restrictive fluid therapy, specifically in the trauma patient, that increases systemic blood pressure without reaching normotension (normal blood pressures). souce (Wiki)
Basically, the idea is to allow the blood pressure to be low if all you have is NS or LR. These fluids will dilute the precious clotting factors and bleeding will continue. If you have blood then give it. Makes sense right? Always remember to practice within your guidelines (SOG). review the video below for a comprehensive overview. Thanks.
The video comes from the website: Life in the Fast Lane. They always have awesome material. Click here to go to the article about Permissive Hypotension. Thanks.
