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Medicine vocabulary · Treatments and Procedures

Intravenous

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/ˌɪntrəˈviːnəs/adjectiveCore term

In medicine, intravenous means: Given directly into a vein, usually through a thin plastic tube called a cannula, as with fluids, antibiotics or pain relief.

In Turkish: damar içi, intravenöz, IV

How it is used

Almost always shortened to IV: IV fluids, IV antibiotics, an IV line. The other main route is oral (by mouth, PO). Doctors switch patients from intravenous to oral treatment when they improve.

Example sentences

  1. Start intravenous fluids and recheck her blood pressure in an hour.

  2. Once his fever settles, we'll switch the intravenous antibiotics to tablets.

Common collocations

  • intravenous fluids
  • IV antibiotics
  • IV line
  • IV access
  • intravenous injection
  • antibioticA medicine that kills bacteria or stops them from growing, used to treat bacterial infections. It does not work against viruses.
  • doseThe amount of a medicine taken or given at one time, for example 500 mg, often stated together with how often it is taken.
  • sepsisA life-threatening reaction to an infection in which the body's response starts to damage its own organs.
  • treatmentThe care, medicine, surgery or other help given to a patient to cure an illness, control it or ease its symptoms.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Treatments and Procedures

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.