Final answer:
True or False: Isosmotic and isotonic are often used interchangeably, but they are not exactly the same. An isotonic solution has no net water movement across a cell membrane, and if red blood cells burst after an injection, the solution was not isotonic but likely hypotonic.
Step-by-step explanation:
The terms isosmotic and isotonic are often used interchangeably but they have slightly different meanings. An isosmotic solution refers to two solutions having the same osmolarity, which is the total solute concentration of the solution. However, an isotonic solution means that the solution outside the cell has the same osmolarity as the cell itself, resulting in no net movement of water across the cell membrane.
Regarding the scenario about the patient, if a doctor injected a solution into a patient which was believed to be isotonic, and yet the patient's red blood cells burst, this suggests that the solution was, in fact, not isotonic. Since the red blood cells burst, which is characteristic of cells in a hypotonic environment where the cells take in water until they burst, the correct answer would be:
c. False, the solution was hypotonic.
It is crucial that intravenous solutions such as normal saline and lactated Ringer's solution are isotonic, which means they have the same osmolarity as the blood to prevent damage to the cells due to either excessive swelling or shrinking.