Please note: This is the general version of the course: Dehydration and Volume Depletion R493B. No pharmacology credits will be earned. Click here to take the pharmacology version.

Course Summary

Water is essential for sustaining life and health. Dehydration and volume depletion can occur without sufficient water intake and a normal body water content. Although dehydration and volume depletion are associated with water loss, they are distinctive concepts that require different management approaches. Appropriate clinical management of a patient with an abnormal body fluid level requires a clear understanding of the differences between dehydration and volume depletion.

Course Format

Homestudy

Course Syllabus

  • Introduction
  • Water Balance and Function in the Human Body
    • Functions of Water
    • Defining Dehydration and Volume Depletion
    • Total Body Water
  • Maintaining Fluid Balance
    • Mechanisms of Water Intake
  • Primary Types of Fluid Loss
    • Gastrointestinal Fluid Loss
    • Renal Fluid Loss
    • Skin and Fluid Loss, and Third Space Sequestration of Fluid
    • Decreased Intake
  • Assessment of Dehydration and Volume Depletion
    • Signs and Symptoms
    • Laboratory Tests
  • Treatment: Fluid Maintenance and Replacement
    • Mild Dehydration and Maintenance Fluid Therapy
    • Fluid Therapy for Volume Depletion
    • Dehydration in Children
  • Case Study: Dehydration in an Infant
  • Summary

Author

Marilyn Lajoie, MD, DC, CCSP

Dr. Marilyn Lajoie obtained her medical degree from Saba University School of Medicine in 1999, Her residency began with one year of Anatomical and Surgical Pathology at Orlando Regional Medical Center, before transferring within the same post-graduate residency program to Internal Medicine. Upon completion of residency, she went into private practice in Orlando, where she specialized in Internal Medicine, Sports Medicine and Rehab, as well as acute and chronic pain management. Before becoming a medical doctor, she had practiced as a Chiropractic Physician, graduating from New York Chiropractic College in 1980, practicing initially on Long Island, N.Y., before moving to Florida where she had a successful chiropractic practice and physical rehabilitation center, and gained recognition as a Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician. Dr. Lajoie was also the Director of Physical Therapy at Horizon Hospital, a residential and outpatient psychiatric hospital, and later, continued in the same capacity at Horizon’s sister psychiatric hospital in Brooksville, Florida. Dr. Lajoie maintained her chiropractic license and continued to practice both Internal Medicine and Chiropractic throughout private practice, until moving to the Veterans Healthcare System in 2014. Continuing in both fields, she became the Deputy Chief of Staff for the Montana VA, where she completed her service in 2021. Dr. Lajoie now works predominantly in telemedicine, and in an Expert Witness capacity for both medical and chiropractic cases. Still living in Montana, she enjoys being able to treat not only the rural areas of the state through this technology, but also patients across the US where she maintains multiple active state licenses. She and her husband also own a llama ranch with over thirty llamas that are hand selected for rare genetics. At the llama ranch, the public is invited to come and visit to learn about these elegant creatures, and to see ranch life firsthand – llama style! Dr. Lajoie and her husband have six adult children, as well as seven dogs.