In medicine saline is a solution of sodium chloride in sterile water, used commonly for intravenous infusion, rinsing contact lenses, and nasal irrigation or jala neti. Sodium chloride (NaCl) is ordinary salt. Saline solutions are available in various concentrations for different purposes. Medicine is the branch of health science and the sector of public life concerned with maintaining human health or restoring it through the treatment of disease and injury. ... Flash point Non-flammable R/S statement R: none S: none RTECS number VZ4725000 Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. ... In pharmacology and toxicology, a route of administration is the path by which a drug, fluid, poison or other substance is brought into contact with the body 1. ... A soft contact lens A contact lens (also known as contact, for short) is a corrective or cosmetic lens placed on the cornea of the eye atop the iris. ... Nasal irrigation is an ancient personal hygiene practice that used warm salty water to clean ones nasal cavity. ... Ceramic neti pot; it can also be made from clay, glass, metal, or plastic. ... A magnified crystal of a salt (halite/sodium chloride) In chemistry, a salt is any ionic compound composed of positively charged cations and negatively charged anions, so that the product is neutral and without a net charge. ...

Normal saline is the solution of 0.9% w/v of NaCl. It contains 154 mEq/L of Na⁺ and Cl⁻. It has a slightly higher degree of osmolality compared to blood (hence, though it is referred to as being isotonic with blood in clinical contexts, this is a technical inaccuracy), about 300 mOsm/L. Normal saline (NS) is therefore used frequently in intravenous drips (IVs) for patients who cannot take fluids orally and have developed severe dehydration. Normal saline is typically the first fluid used when dehydration is severe enough to threaten the adequacy of blood circulation and is the safest fluid to give quickly in large volumes. In the physical sciences, weight is the downward force exerted on matter as a result of gravity. ... Volume, also called capacity, is a quantification of how much space an object occupies. ... Flash point Non-flammable R/S statement R: none S: none RTECS number VZ4725000 Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. ... The equivalent (Eq or eq) is a reasonably common measurement unit used in chemistry and the biological sciences. ... When substances are dissolved, the number of distinct particles in solution is measured as Osmolality. ... When substances are dissolved, the number of distinct particles in solution is measured as Osmolality. ... An intravenous drip in a hospital Intravenous therapy or IV therapy is the administration of liquid substances directly into a vein. ... Dehydration is the removal of water (hydor in ancient Greek) from an object. ...

Other concentrations of saline are frequently used for other purposes, such as supplying extra water to a dehydrated patient or supplying the daily water and salt needs ("maintenance" needs) of a patient who is unable to take them by mouth. Because infusing a solution of low osmolality can cause problems, intravenous solutions with reduced saline concentrations typically have dextrose (glucose) added to maintain a safe osmolality while providing less sodium chloride. As the molecular weight (MW) of dextrose is greater, this has the same osmolality as normal saline but contributes less sodium to the circulation. Because dextrose monohydrate (MW 198 in contrast to MW 180 for glucose) is the commercial form of dextrose used in these preparations, 5% dextrose actually contains only 4.5 g/dL of glucose. A space-filling model of glucose Glucose, a simple monosaccharide sugar, is one of the most important carbohydrates and is used as a source of energy in animals and plants. ... Glucose (Glc), a monosaccharide, is one of the most important carbohydrates. ... The molecular mass of a substance (less accurately called molecular weight and abbreviated as MW) is the mass of one molecule of that substance, relative to the unified atomic mass unit u (equal to 1/12 the mass of one atom of carbon-12). ... General Name, Symbol, Number sodium, Na, 11 Chemical series alkali metals Group, Period, Block 1, 3, s Appearance silvery white Atomic mass 22. ...

Concentrations commonly used include

1. Half-normal saline (0.45% NaCl), often with "D5" (5% dextrose), contains 77 mEq/L of Na and Cl and 4.5 g/L glucose.
2. Quarter-normal saline (0.22% NaCl) has 39 mEq/L of Na and Cl and always contains 5% dextrose for osmolality reasons.
3. Dextrose (glucose) 4% in 0.18% saline is used sometimes for maintenance replacement.

The amount of normal saline infused depends largely on the needs of the patient (e.g. ongoing diarrhoea or heart failure) but is typically between 1.5 and 3 litres a day for an adult. A space-filling model of glucose Glucose, a simple monosaccharide sugar, is one of the most important carbohydrates and is used as a source of energy in animals and plants. ... Diarrhoea is the correct way to spell the word Diarrhoea. ... The litre (spelled litre in Commonwealth English and liter in American English) is a unit of capacity. ...

See also

• Intravenous therapy
• Lactated Ringer's solution