Diuretic therapy: implications for nursing practice.

Diuretics relieve fluid overload by increasing the volume of urine passed and decreasing the volume of fluid in the body. The consequent challenges to fluid balance require careful observation if dehydration and therapeutic failure are to be avoided. As fluid is lost, so are electrolytes. The subsequent biochemical changes may have adverse effects on patients, however with careful medication monitoring, most of these effects can be detected and prevented.