Definition

Noun: - A physiological saline solution: Ringer's solution is a balanced salt solution containing specific concentrations of sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and calcium chloride dissolved in water. It is formulated to match the osmotic pressure (be isotonic) of bodily fluids in many animals. Its primary uses are to correct fluid and electrolyte imbalances, such as dehydration, and to serve as a nurturing bath or medium for living tissues or organs maintained outside the body (in vitro) during physiological experiments.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The veterinarian administered Ringer's solution intravenously to the dehydrated dog.
  • For the experiment, the isolated frog heart was kept alive in a bath of Ringer's solution.

Advanced Usage

• "Lactated Ringer's solution": A common variant that includes sodium lactate, making it more closely resemble blood plasma. It is often used in medical settings for fluid resuscitation.
  • The hospital protocol called for Lactated Ringer's solution to be used for the patient in hypovolemic shock.

Variants and Related Words

• Ringer's lactate: Another name for Lactated Ringer's solution.
• Physiological saline / Normal saline: A simpler, isotonic salt solution (only sodium chloride). While related and used for similar purposes, it is not identical to Ringer's solution, which contains additional electrolytes.
• Isotonic solution: The general category of solutions that have the same osmotic pressure as a particular bodily fluid.

Synonyms

• Balanced salt solution (BSS): A general term for solutions like Ringer's that contain a mixture of salts essential for physiological function.
• Electrolyte solution: Emphasizes its content of essential ions (electrolytes).

Notes on Usage

• The term is often capitalized as Ringer's solution, named after the physiologist Sydney Ringer.
• It is typically used in medical, veterinary, and biological research contexts. It is not a common term in everyday conversation.

Noun

1. an aqueous solution containing the chlorides of sodium and potassium and calcium that is isotonic to animal tissues; used to correct dehydration and (in physiological experiments) as a medium for in vitro preparations