The origin of normal saline has been traced to an 1883 study by a Dutch scientist named Hamburger. A descendent of Latta's original fluid, normal saline contains only two ingredients - water and salt. Ringer's solution was slow to catch on, though, and a simpler salt solution known as normal saline became the de facto IV fluid of the early 20th century. A physiologist named Sidney Ringer created a solution containing sodium, potassium, and chloride in concentrations similar to blood. Shots - Health News When Opioids Make Pain Worseīy the 1880s, scientists knew more about the basic chemical elements in human blood. The effect was 'remarkable,' according to The Lancet in 1832. Early physicians knew that human blood was salty, and a Scottish doctor named Latta developed a primitive salt water solution to replace through the veins what had been lost through the bowels. Intravenous fluids were invented in England in the first decades of the 19 th century to treat cholera, which even then was recognized as a disease that killed by dehydration. Now there's a rethinking about whether saline is really the best way to go.

As it turns out, that was never really the case at all. Primarily a treatment for dehydration, normal saline is given without a second thought for a variety of conditions, from vomiting to fast heart rates to lightheadedness.įor such a ubiquitous treatment, you'd probably expect that saline has been thoroughly studied and refined. Over 200 million liters are used every year in the United States. Several kinds are available, but one called normal saline is by far the most popular. IV fluids are among the most common medical interventions worldwide. Should doctors choose lactated Ringer's solution (right) or normal saline?ĭuring a recent walk around the emergency room where I work, I noted the number of patients with bags of intravenous fluids hanging above them.

Lactated ringer vs normal saline