IV fluids can be classified as hypo, hyper, or isotonic… but to what? The blood cells? Or other body cells? How do IV fluids even work in the body, and under what conditions would someone need a specific IV solution?
In: Biology
Tonicity is relative to the physiological osmolarity. As cell membranes are permeable to water amongst other things, the intra and extracellular compartments are approximately equal in osmolarity. So blood, blood cells, interstitial fluid, and other cells are usually all of the same osmolarity. There are exceptions, like urine.
IV is just a route. You deliver a solution intravenously, via veins. There’s intraperitoneal, subcutaneous, epicutaneous, intradermal, transdermal, intramuscular, transcorneal, intraocular, intraventricular, intrathecal, intraoasseous, intranasal, intratracheal, etc… Etc.. Why IV? Well if what you want to deliver is unstable outside blood, needs to be delivered quickly, need the dose to be precise in amount or in time, etc. then IV is your optimal approach. Once something is in the blood, it has entered circulation, it will move all around the body very quickly, depends on what’s in the solution, the injected things either get taken up by specific cells or in general any cells or just help fluid or ion balance in the body.
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