Intravenous therapy (
IV) is a
therapy that delivers liquid substances directly into a
vein (
intra- +
ven- +
-ous). The intravenous
route of administration can be used for
injections (with a
syringe at higher
pressures) or infusions (typically using only the pressure supplied by gravity). Intravenous infusions are commonly referred to as
drips. The intravenous route is the fastest way to deliver
medications and
fluid replacement throughout the body, because the
circulation carries them. Intravenous therapy may be used for fluid replacement (such as correcting
dehydration), to correct
electrolyte imbalances, to deliver medications, and for
blood transfusions.
You may say my family is a funny lot.
Ann, your brother here is a regular blood donor. The blood bank calls
him almost every month. The machine is so high tech, it can harvest the
blood component needed (platelet) only
Happiness is being able to help others.
Here is my little bro Dr Henry Chan doing the honourable thing. I wrote
in my book from China to Borneo to China were back in the 1960s,
donating blood was not the done thing.
In 1968, my grandma had
kidney surgery. We paid two trishaw men. She was in Sibu, the surgery
was in Kapit, the boat ride was almost a whole day. We paid for their
boat ride, hotel and food. and I can't remember if it was an ang bao of
$150 or $200 per person.
Grandma told us, there were 2 men, one
was an old hand in blood "donation". The young one was a novice, he came
to see grandma, clutching her hand, and telling her, he was doing it to
save her.
10 yrs later, I went to Canada and donated blood. My
two bros followed suit. My aunties scolded us and reminded that we had
to pay for grandma's surgery.
The funny thing was the Sarawak
blood technician asked me if I minded if they give my blood to a non
Chinese. I just told him to give it to whoever needed it.