Question

A nurse made a tragic mistake and hooked a sick patient up to an IV line that included pure water. The contents of the IV bag were then injected into the patient. The patient is now getting sicker. What could be happening?

Answer 1

Answer:

The water is hypotonic to the body of the patients

Explanation:

Pure water is generally hypotonic to the red blood cells in the body of humans. Hence, if a person is hooked up to an IV line that included pure water, the red blood cells in the person's body will take-in water, become turgid, and then start lysing. This will make the person become sick or even cause death in severe cases.