What should be adjusted if the Effective Dry Weight (EDW) is too low?

When the Effective Dry Weight (EDW) is too low, it typically indicates that a patient may be experiencing excessive fluid removal during dialysis, which can lead to complications such as hypotension or dehydration. In this scenario, administering a saline bolus is an appropriate response because it serves to quickly restore intravascular volume and correct potential fluid deficits.

By giving a saline bolus, you can help stabilize blood pressure and improve blood flow to vital organs, effectively balancing the patient’s fluid status. This intervention is crucial for patients who may feel symptomatic due to low fluid volume, commonly seen when the EDW is underestimated.

The other choices revolve around different aspects of patient management but do not directly address the immediate needs of a patient with low EDW. Increasing the fluid removal rate, for instance, would exacerbate the problem, leading to even lower fluid levels. Reducing dialysis duration may not adequately address the fluid status issue either, while decreasing the use of medications could risk undermining treatment effectiveness without addressing the urgent need for volume restoration. Administering a saline bolus effectively corrects the fluid imbalance and is thus the appropriate course of action.