What Is An Infusion Center And How Can Infusion Therapy Help Patients?

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Written By Berry Mathew

Several novel approaches have been developed to treat different medical conditions more effectively. One of these novel techniques is infusion therapy. This therapy serves as a perfect substitute for oral treatment; the ingestion of medication through the mouth into the stomach, where it’s digested by stomach acid before getting absorbed into the bloodstream. 

Once they come in contact with stomach acid, some drugs lose their effectiveness. But with infusion therapy, such a problem can be averted. This makes infusion therapy a suitable treatment technique for medical conditions such as cancer, depression, chronic pain, and others. Infusion therapy is suitable for administering various medications such as Ketamine, and it can also be done in hospitals as well as in infusion centers. To make this treatment option accessible, there is a new Ketamine therapy provider coming to Phoenix

Read on to learn more about infusion therapy, infusion centers, and how infusion therapy can help several patients. 

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What Is Infusion Therapy?

Infusion therapy is the process of delivering medication to a patient using fluid. The fluid may be normal saline, dextrose in water (D5W), colloids, and any other that can be delivered through an intravenous line, sterile catheter, or an injection into a muscle. Infusion therapy is used in delivering medications such as antibiotics, anesthetics, analgesics, epidurals, and other medications into the veins or under the skin. This treatment method introduces the medication directly into the bloodstream and allows easy, unhindered absorption of the medication. It’s also used for patients who need nutrition, fluids, or blood replacement.

What Are Infusion Therapy Centers?

As mentioned earlier, infusion therapy can be done in the hospital; however, it can be less convenient and even more expensive, especially for a patient who needs IV infusion therapy for an extended period. Fortunately, there are infusion centers that are licensed, registered, and authorized to offer infusion therapy to patients. Infusion centers are outpatient clinics with all the advanced technologies and equipment necessary to offer successful infusion therapy. These outpatient clinics also have well-trained specialists that understand the nitty-gritty of setting intravenous lines and administering infusion therapy appropriately. Furthermore, infusion centers are more cost-effective, offer hassle-free scheduling, and are generally more convenient than infusion therapy offered in hospital settings.

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Medical Conditions That Infusion Therapy Can Treat

Infusion therapy is suitable for the treatment of various medical conditions that can’t be treated with oral medications. Some of such medical conditions include;

Mental health conditions such as;

Anxiety, Major Depressive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Bipolar Disorder, Treatment-Resistant Depression, and others.

Chronic Pain 

Infusion therapy can be used to treat pain associated with different medical conditions such as; chronic sickle cell pain, central neuropathic pain, migraines, cancer pain, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), Breakthrough Non-Cancer Pain, and many more.

Infections 

Severe Infections such as; pneumonia, cellulitis, orthopedic infections, chronic urinary tract infection, diabetic foot infections, and Chronic Hepatitis B & C, to name a few, can be treated with infusion therapy. 

What To Expect At An Infusion Therapy Center

Infusion centers offer customized care tailored specifically to meet the needs of each patient. A typical infusion therapy session often begins with a nurse or doctor’s examination and verification. Your nurse will check your identity and verify your treatment. Thereafter, your nurse will check and verify your medication, doses, and specific treatment time. Also, your veins will be inspected to make sure that the right route is selected for needle insertion. 

When all the checks are done, you’ll be made to sit in a reclining chair for your treatment. Depending on the length of the treatment, the doctor can suggest new needles for every session, or a central line can be set for an extended period. Also, some infusion centers can have a surgically implanted port placed under the skin so that new needles won’t be inserted for every session. 

A tube will then be connected to the needle and passed to the IV bag containing the medication solutions. The bag will then be hung on a stand so that the solution can gradually flow into your bloodstream.

Each infusion therapy session typically lasts between 1 to 3 hours, depending on the medical condition being treated. 

Although infusion therapy is a great alternative to oral medications, there are still some drugs that are best ingested orally. So always seek the opinion of a medical professional, preferably a doctor, before making your choice. Also, ensure your infusing therapy is done under close monitoring.