Normal Saline
Where did the IV fluid go…
DID YOU KNOW: In managing shock, for every liter of normal saline given, only 180mls remains intravascular (your normal adult intravascular volume is approx. 5L). So in hypovolaemic patients…give loads of fluids…for blood loss, give blood early, the best natural colloid.
Normal (Abnormal) Saline vs. Ringer’s Lactate
The choice of crystalloid fluid for volume resuscitation is debated often. With rising concern about the effect of hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis associated with normal saline, clinicians more commonly are opting for balanced crystalloids, such as lactated Ringer’s solution or Plasma-Lyte.
Did you know?
- Saline’s designation as “normal” was based on an erroneous calculation of the salt concentration in human blood as 0.9% back in 1882 (it’s actually 0.6%)
- Hypoglycemia is a common finding in malaria. Malaria parasitized red blood cells utilize glucose 75 times faster than uninfected cells.
Normal Saline: The Coke of Crystalloid Fluids
Not so Normal Saline; next time you’re ordering fluids for a patient in the ED consider: should they get IV Coca-cola? Or something healthier??