Question

your patient is sitting in your office for a pre operative apointment and aks you why he will be given a saline IV rather than one containing pure sterile water. what is your response?

Answer 1

An iv drip of pure sterile water cannot be administered to the patient because it will cause body cells to swell and burst.
The water flows from low solute concetration to high solute concentration. When iv drip of pure sterile water is administered it will result in increased solute concentration intracellularly. This will cause water to move inside the cell resulting in cell swelling and eventual bursting of the cells.
The iv drip containing saline water will maintain osmotic balance. This is why saline water is administered intravenously.