Irreplaceable saline: composition, use in medical institutions and at home

Physiological saline (in other words - saline solution) is a solution of sodium chloride NaCl. Details about it, as well as how it is manufactured and why they are used, will be discussed in our article.

How is saline produced?

Physiological solution, the composition of which contains not so many components, is produced in huge quantities in production. In the process of creating this medicine, salts are introduced into the distilled water in a certain order. And only when the previous component completely dissolved, add the following.

To avoid precipitation in the solution, carbon dioxide is passed through sodium bicarbonate. In the last place it is customary to add glucose. Particular importance is the dishes in which saline is prepared. Its composition contains many elements necessary for the body, but among them there are no metals, since they negatively affect the vital activity of tissues. Therefore, it is especially important that saline is prepared only in glass tanks.

What is saline used for?

In general, this solution is actively used in medicine. It is used when:

• Dehydration of the organism (dropper);
• Dilution of various medicines;
• In case of emergency, the solution acts as a substitute for blood.

It is also used for:

• Injections and droppers;
• Washing of contact lenses;
• As well as as an antimicrobial agent.

For medicine, saline is almost indispensable, because all the droppers in medical institutions do it on its basis: they dilute the drugs to achieve the required concentration. The injections, especially vitamins, are also often done with saline, which softens the effect of the drug and makes the injection less painful.

Why use the product at home

Physiosphere, whose composition is indicated on the vial, can always be freely purchased at the pharmacy. It can be used at home, for example, to wash the nose. This substance can perfectly replace some expensive nasal sprays, and the effect will be exactly the same as after using expensive drugs.

In medicine, there are several types of saline, the compositions of which, depending on the purpose of use, may differ slightly from each other. The composition of saline solution for washing the nose is not of fundamental importance, since this procedure can be performed using any variant of the drug, but it is best to take a 0.9% concentration. Washing of the nose with saline solution is, in fact, a mechanical cleaning of the mucous membrane.

Independently to make procedure it is simple. To do this, you have to tilt the head forward so that the holes of the nasal passages are parallel to the floor. This position is very important. The head should be kept exactly so as to prevent the solution from entering the auditory tubes. After that, you need to suck in some liquid. During the runny nose, a physiological solution, whose composition is absolutely safe and the body is of only benefit, will help clear the nose and facilitate breathing.

Use of saline for inhalations

Often, this adjuvant is used for inhalations. For this, in addition to the solution itself, you need a special device - an inhaler (nebulizer). The essence of this process is that a medicine is introduced into the inhaler, diluted with saline solution. Through a special nozzle, the patient inhales this medication (the prescribed drug), which has the required effect on the body. This procedure also allows moistening the surface of the mucous membrane.

The composition of saline for inhalation is not particularly important, you can use any kind of solution - sterile or not, and take it at any proposed concentration (from 0.5 to 0.9%). Inhalations using saline are very effective. Especially often they are assigned to small children during colds. The procedure allows not only to cope with the malaise, but also to prevent it if you do inhalations for prevention.

Droppers with saline solution

As we have already mentioned, most IVs in hospitals are done with saline. Diluting the drug to them, you can achieve the desired concentration of medication. The composition of saline solution for droppers is indicated on the vial with this preparation (as a rule, 0.9% aqueous solution of sodium chloride is used, it is also called isotonic). It is already in the concentration that is necessary for its use. It must necessarily be sterile, that is, it is forbidden to use the drug with broken packaging. Droppers of saline are prescribed for dehydration of the body, for dilution of blood and for the elimination of edema. If necessary, this product is combined with other medicines. We hope that our article answered in detail the question of what is saline solution and why it is used.