Mineral Community Hospital provides the specialized service of IV Infusion Therapy.
Infusion therapy is when you receive medication through a needle or catheter. Some drugs can’t be taken orally because they lose their effectiveness when exposed to your digestive system. Infusion therapy is used when there’s no comparable oral therapy or when you can’t take oral medication.
Infusion therapy also allows you to spend more time with friends and family in your own environment and less time in the hospital. With a decreased risk of infections, you are able to return to home, to work or school more comfortably and safely. In addition, medical costs are lower because you receive care on an outpatient basis rather than as part of a hospital stay. All we need is for you to mention to your provider that you want to come to MCH for your IV infusion therapy and he or she can write up an order.
Are there any risks involved with infusion therapy?
Insertion of an IV needle often goes smoothly, but it can be challenging, especially if you have small veins.
If you need to have many infusions, it can cause scar tissue to form over time, which may cause damage to your veins. Risks of IV therapy can include:
- collapsed veins
- infection
- phlebitis
- air embolism
Sometimes, a needle can become dislodged, allowing the medication to get into surrounding tissues. With some medications, this can be harmful.
Other risks depend on the type of medications you’re receiving. Any new medication can cause your body to react strongly. If you’re going to have a reaction, it typically happens the first time you get a particular treatment.
Your doctor will explain the potential risks of your therapy and signs to watch for. The signs of infusion reaction typically include:
- cough
- facial flushing
- fever, chills
- headache
- itching
- muscle or joint pain and stiffness
- nausea
- rash or hives
- shortness of breath
- swelling of hands, legs, ankles, or feet
- swelling of the tongue, lips, or eyelids
Before starting infusion therapy, let your doctor know about all the medications you’re taking as well as dietary and herbal supplements, as these can interact.
The bottom line
Infusion therapy is the administration of medication or fluids in a controlled method. It’s done most often intravenously or subcutaneously.
Since the timing can be controlled, it’s used to deliver drugs and other medications that need to enter your system slowly. It can also be used to deliver drugs into your bloodstream quickly in the case of a life threatening emergency.
Infusion therapy is used to dispense many treatments for a wide variety of conditions. It’s typically administered by nurses or other trained healthcare providers, usually in a clinical setting.
Speak with your healthcare provider about the potential benefits and risks of infusion therapy, and what you can do to make it as safe and effective as possible.