Intensive Care Medicine (ICM) Practice Exam

What is a potential systemic complication of infusion therapy?

1. Infiltration

2. Phlebitis

3. Speedshock

4. Extravasation

The correct answer is: Speedshock

Infusion therapy, while essential in various medical treatments, carries the risk of several systemic complications. Speed shock is a specific reaction that occurs when a substance is administered too rapidly into the bloodstream, which can lead to significant cardiovascular complications such as hypotension, increased heart rate, and potential collapse. This occurs because the body is unable to effectively manage the sudden influx of the medication or fluid, overwhelming the circulatory system. To provide context for the other options, infiltration refers to the inadvertent administration of a non-vesicant solution into the surrounding tissue rather than into the vein, leading to localized swelling and pain. Phlebitis involves inflammation of the vein due to chemical or mechanical irritation, which is more localized in nature. Extravasation is the infiltration of a vesicant (a substance that can cause tissue damage) into the surrounding tissue, which can also lead to more serious localized effects but does not have the systemic impact that speed shock does. In contrast, speed shock represents a more generalized systemic response to the infusion therapy and is thus identified as the potential systemic complication in this context.