Question

Q1: Jennifer is Randy’s patient. She is carefully watching him fill an IV bottle with a mixture specially ordered by the physician. She notices that he accidentally fills the bottle with concentrated (10%) salt solution instead of the mixture from the pharmacy. Why should she refuse to allow Randy to attach the IV bottle to her system?

Q2: Randy is now assigned to the surgical unit. He is given a piece of living tissue and asked to put it in the fluid before taking the sample to the pathology lab. What essential characteristic must such fluid have so that it will not damage any cells in the tissue?

Answer 1

Answer to question 1: She should refuse to take it because it may be harmful to her, if she takes it.

Answer to question 2: Maybe the right liquid would keep it living,

Answer 2

Q1) The injection of 10% salt solution could lead to many effects that are harmful to the body.

Q2) Must be in formalin solution or another preservative substance.

Step-by-step explanation:

Q1) 0.9% sodium chloride solution (salt solution) for injection is used for fluid restoration and electrolytes. The solution is also used as a water and electrolyte replenisher in case of moderate metabolic alkalosis (increase in blood pH), lacking sodium and as a thinner for medicines.

10% concentrated solutions cannot be injected directly. This solution need to be diluted to the indicated compatible concentrations (like 0,9%). If injected directly, would cause: hypernatremia, cardiovascular shock, central nervous system problems, severe haemolysis (red blood cell destruction), renal necrosis and severe local tissue necrosis if solution infiltration occurs.

Q2) After collection, the biopsy sample is placed in a container with formalin (a mixture of water and formaldehyde) or some other preservative substance. To fix a tissue sample it is necessary that the fixative has a pH similar to that of the blood. This prevents an acid or alkaline solution from altering human tissues and impairing future diagnostic or prognostic analyzes, especially in Immunohistochemical Studies and Molecular Biology (which are the pathology analysis).