Under the Microscope Sterile normal saline is used in most surgical procedures a
ID: 140000 • Letter: U
Question
Under the Microscope Sterile normal saline is used in most surgical procedures as an irrigation solution. During certain surgical procedures, such as those for malignancy, the surgeon may request that sterile water be used for irrigation instead of saline following excision of the cancerous mass 1. What is meant by "normal" saline? 2. Why is normal saline usually used in healthy tissues? 3. How is water different from saline? 4. What reaction will occur between the eukaryotic cells of the body and the water?Explanation / Answer
1. Normal Saline is a 0.9% weight/volume solution of sodium chloride in water i.e. 9 g in 1 litre of water.
2. Normal saline is considered to be isotonic to healthy tissues, i.e. it has a tonicity similar to that of blood plasma and hence doesnot affect the cells by altering the osmolarity of the cells (tissue). And maintenance of osmolarity is an essential factor for healthy tissues.
3. Saline is a 0.9% w/v solution of NaCl in water and is an isotonic solution and has similar tonicity as that of blood plasma whereas in that respect, water will serve as a hypotonic media and can cause swelling of the cells by movement of water from outside to inside the cells.
4. Eukaryotic cells of body when placed in water, will swell up due to mevement of water from outside of the cell to inside the cell (along the concentration gradient, i.e. movement of water from high water concentration to low water concentration area)
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