Intravenous, IV for short, therapy essentially means the delivery of some substance into your bloodstream via a vein. Depending on the circumstances surrounding this delivery, a vein infusion may be done with a quick shot or inserting a hallow needle that remains in your vein when a substance needs to be delivered on an ongoing or intermittent basis.
Intravenous therapy may be used to deliver into your bloodstream:
- drugs
- electrolytes
- chemotherapy
- blood transfusion
- fluid replacement
- parenteral nutrition
- stem cell transplant
- immunoglobulin immunotherapy
The vein infusion route via an IV is the quickest way to make a bloodstream delivery.
Dehydration and malnutrition are two health conditions for which the use of IV therapy can treat or prevent. Intravenous rehydration delivers a sterile water solution containing small amounts of electrolytes into your bloodstream. Bloodstream delivery of parenteral nutrition is a vein infusion of some or all of your body’s nutritional requirements.
With intravenous therapy there’s a minor risk of infection, bruising and phlebitis at the vein infusion site.