What Is An Assessment Of Volume Status, Why Is It Important, And How Is It Done?
Dr. Hare answers the question: 'What Is An Assessment Of Volume Status?'
ByABC News
November 19, 2008, 4:11 PM
— -- Question: What is an assessment of volume status, why is it important, and how is it done?
Answer: Volume status is one of the most important things to the patient with congestive heart failure. When you have a weak heart muscle or stiff heart muscle which is the cardiac portion of congestive heart failure, it will lead your body to retain salt and water. And it's the retention of the salt and water -- which is the volume status -- which will give you the symptoms of congestive heart failure.
So breathlessness and fatigue, perhaps swelling in your ankles -- these all occur when you're volume status has increased because your body has retained salt and water.
