Question

Predict what will happen to a person's red blood cells if he or she were given the following fluids together intravenously: 300 ml of normal saline (isotonic) solution mixed with 300 ml of 10% dextrose solution (hypertonic solution). a) Red blood cells will shrink. b) Red blood cells will swell and burst. c) Red blood cells will remain unchanged. d) Red blood cells will multiply.

Answer 1

Answer:a) Red blood cells will shrink

Explanation:When a person is given a mixture of 300 ml of normal saline (isotonic) solution and 300 ml of 10% dextrose solution (hypertonic), the effect on their red blood cells can be predicted based on the tonicity of the solutions.

In this case, the normal saline solution is isotonic, meaning it has the same concentration of solutes as the red blood cells. The 10% dextrose solution, on the other hand, is hypertonic, meaning it has a higher concentration of solutes than the red blood cells.

When a hypertonic solution is introduced to red blood cells, water moves out of the cells through osmosis, resulting in cell shrinkage. This is because the higher solute concentration in the hypertonic solution creates an imbalance, causing water to leave the cells in an attempt to equalize the solute concentrations.

Therefore, the correct answer is a) Red blood cells will shrink. The hypertonic solution will cause water to move out of the red blood cells, leading to cell shrinkage.