What Is Third Spacing?

Third Spacing is a medical term. It is described as a 'shifting of fluid to interstitial spaces', and is an explanation of what is happening when a patient presents symptoms which suggest they simultaneously have both enough fluid in their body, and have too little. It happens when there is a deficiency of protein or albumin in the body, as these things lead to a decrease in oncotic pressure. This decrease in oncotic pressure allows fluid to leak from intravascular space into interstitial spaces, which causes edema. Because this fluid is trapped in interstitial spaces, it is not circulating the body, and whilst the cells show the signs of edema, the body will show signs similar to dehydration. There will be minimal urine production, and the abdomen will usually appear swollen and firm, as well as a little out of place.

Third Spacing is usually treated by administering hypertonic fluids, as the increased levels of albumin these provide will help to bring fluid back from the interstitial spaces into the intravascular space - increasing the volume of fluid circulating the body. Whilst a patient is experiencing third spacing, it will be of vital importance to keep tabs on a number of things. First, regular measures of their abdominal swelling should be taken to check whether the condition is worsening. Doctors should also check to make sure he is cognitively functioning well enough for conversation, and check his blood pressure if not. Keeping an eye on his oxygen saturation is also important, and additional oxygen therapy may be required if the patient is having respiratory problems.

In our body the extracellular fluids are present in the tissues and plasm with 75%:25% ratio. When theses fluids are collected in other than these two areas, the condition is called third space like in peritonium and in lungs (pulmonary edema).Diastolic Heart Failure is the type of heart disorder in which heart contract normally but the ventricle can not relax. This causes less blood to flow resulting in to pulmonary edema or fluid in lungs.

In human physiology, extracellular fluids are distributed between the interstitial compartment (i.e. Tissue) and intravascular compartment (i.e. Plasma) in an approximately 75%-25% ratio. Third spacing is the physiological concept that body fluids may collect in a "third" body compartment that isn't normally perfused with fluids. For example, with severe burns, fluids may pool in the burn site and cause depletion of the fluids in the first and second compartments. With pancreatitis, fluids may "leak out" into the peritoneal cavity, also causing depletion of the first and second compartments. The wikipedia def