The science of saline – why can we drink pure water, but when we put water into our bodies in other ways, like an IV, must we add minerals to it?

Question

The science of saline – why can we drink pure water, but when we put water into our bodies in other ways, like an IV, must we add minerals to it?

In: 480

Answer 1

Your blood has a salinity concentration of about 0.9%, this is why most IV fluids have a similar “salt” concentration. If you were to hypothetically flood someone with pure water through an IV, it would offset the natural gradient of 0.9% causing fluid to flow into your cells and cause extreme swelling.