Bolus (medicine)
In medicine, a bolus (from Latin bolus 'ball' or 'shot') is understood to mean the rapid administration of a drug or another substance in order to raise its concentration to the level of the effective dose . It can be administered in the form of an intravenous , intramuscular or intrathecal injection .
placement
The placement of the bolus dose depends on the desired systemic level of the substance. An intramuscular bolus is used to give a vaccine to cause a slow release of the antigen, which stimulates the body's immune system and gives it time to develop antibodies . Subcutaneous injections are given by heroin addicts (so-called "skin popping", which describes the bump formed by the bolus), which lead to a delayed release. This reduces both withdrawal symptoms and euphoria. A bolus that is administered directly intravenously allows very rapid administration and quickly increases the concentration of the substance to its effective dose. Typically this is done at the beginning of treatment or after a therapeutically active substance has been removed from the bloodstream (e.g. after dialysis ).
diabetes
Diabetics and healthcare professionals use boluses to add fast-acting insulin to the basal rate, called basic bolus therapy . The basal rate is ensured by continuously administering small amounts of fast-acting insulin using an insulin pump or by administering slow-acting insulin to ensure that the liver releases glucose.
Veterinary medicine
In case of a lack of fluids, small animals are often injected subcutaneously with larger amounts of electrolyte solution as a bolus in order to create a depot under the loose skin from which the missing fluid can be absorbed over a few hours . This procedure is less risky compared to administration via infusion and is therefore particularly preferred for very small animals.
In the case of large animals , boluses are also available as fixed, tablet-like drug depots that are placed in the rumen of ruminants such as cattle , goats and sheep .
Technical rumen boluses are used for the electronic identification of ruminants . They consist of a cylindrical ceramic shell . Inside there is a rod-shaped RFID chip cast in glass . The rumen bolus is swallowed by the animal. Due to its high weight, it remains permanently in the rumen of the ruminant.
radiotherapy
In radiation therapy , a bolus is a waxy, tissue-equivalent material that is placed on the skin in order to homogenize or modulate the dose of the external radiation source.
Individual evidence
- ↑ HIV / AIDS Program: Muscling and skin popping ( English ) Seattle and King County Public Health Department. November 19, 2003. Archived from the original on August 17, 2012. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ↑ Insulin Pump Terminology . 2007. Archived from the original on July 6, 2007. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 13, 2007.
- ↑ - ( Memento of the original from December 19, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
