Eli5: why does an IV drop into that capsule that’s half full of iv and half air?

Question

Eli5: why does an IV drop into that capsule that’s half full of iv and half air?

In: 1726

Answer 1

Suppose you have a bag of IV fluid and just an unbroken line into the patient. How do you adjust the speed at which the fluid enters the patient? How do you even *know* how quickly it is flowing? You don’t!

To figure that out you will want to have some kind of device to make the flow visible, like a container where the IV can drip at a rate you can time and adjust your flow valve as desired. That is your half-air capsule.