Third Space Edema

This phase lasts 24 to 72 hours after the initial insult that led to the increased capillary permeability for example surgery trauma burns or sepsis.

Third space edema. In the loss phase increased capillary permeability leads to a loss of proteins and fluids from the intravascular space to the interstitial space. Various chronic illnesses contribute to edema and swelling of the feet and hands as the disease becomes unmanageable. The inflammation can also come from exposure to medical. Postmastectomy lymphedema is an example of this type of third spacing.

Edema is swelling caused by excess fluid trapped in your body s tissues. Third spacing third spacing is the abnormal accumulation of fluid into an extracellular and extravascular space. Although edema can affect any part of your body you may notice it more in your hands arms feet ankles and legs. Fluid lying outside of the interstitial tissue exposed to evaporation.

Fluid is not effectively pumped through the kidneys to be filtered and regulated. With regard to severe burns fluids may pool on the burn site i e. Hypoalbuminemia is often caused by having inflammation throughout your body such as if you have sepsis or recently had surgery. In medicine the term is often used with regard to loss of fluid into interstitial spaces such as with burns or edema but it can also refer to fluid shifts into a body cavity transcellular space such as ascites and pleural effusions.

Third spacing has two distinct phases loss and reabsorption. Edema can be the result of medication pregnancy or an underlying disease often congestive heart failure kidney disease or cirrhosis of the liver. Third spacing is a shift of fluid into the interstitial spaces where there is little fluid normally perfusing. Swelling to feet ankles and hands.

Cerebral edema like from hyponatremia the difference between a patient who has edema and a patient who has third spacing is that the third spacing patient is hypovolemic because the fluid has moved from the ecf and is not available for use. The third space where bodily fluid resides is the interstitial space or the space filled with interstitial fluid between the cells within the tissues. In addition excess fluid sometimes collects in what is called the third space which includes cavities in the abdomen abdominal or peritoneal cavity called ascites or in the chest lung or pleural cavity called pleural effusion. Extensive tissue swelling occurs when the third space fills with excess fluid known as edema.

All the fluid has shifted from the other compartments and although they look all puffy and full of fluid they are actually hypovolemic. This patient differs from the pt with generalized edema because the third spacing is just that.