Question

A not very well-studied A&P student heard about a phenomenon called water intoxication and thought it sounded fun so she decided to try it. She consumed a large amount of water in a short time (Don’t try this—water intoxication is often fatal.). Instead of feeling drunk, she felt nauseated, developed a severe headache, began to get confused, and then became unconscious. Her much more prepared A&P student roommate quickly realized the problem and called an ambulance. When the roommate told the Emergency Department doctor what had happened, the doctor quickly began administering IV (intravenous) fluids. Based on this information and your understanding of osmosis and tonicity, what type of IV fluid is the doctor likely administering to try to save the life of the student suffering from water intoxication?

Answer 1

They would be administering hypertonic sodium chloride solution I.V.