intravascular volume depletion

Intravascular volume depletion is divided into three types based on the blood sodium level:

These patients may have coexisting total body volume overload and intravascular volume depletion.

Diuretics are typically of little benefit and may promote intravascular volume depletion because the lymphedema fluid cannot be easily mobilized into the vascular space.

For instance, intravascular volume depletion can exist in an adequately hydrated person if there is loss of water into interstitial tissue (e.g. due to hyponatremia or liver failure).

The high aldosterone levels causes the kidneys to avidly retain Na (to correct the intravascular volume depletion), and excrete increased amounts of K into the urine (resulting in hypokalaemia).

If hyperglycemia has been present for a prolonged period of time before surgery, this could result in dehydration, which is commonly associated with electrolytic abnormalities such as sodium and potassium loss and possibly intravascular volume depletion.

The study by Planche et al. [1] provides important new information addressing intracellular volume depletion in children with severe childhood malaria, but does not address the question of whether intravascular volume depletion (hypovolemic shock) is present.

Those who refer to hypotonic dehydration therefore refer to solute loss and thus loss of intravascular volume but in the presence of exaggerated intravascular volume depletion for a given amount of total body water gain.