Is normal saline the same as sodium chloride?
A bag of normal saline, used as an IV fluid
No, ‘normal saline’ is not exactly the same as ‘sodium chloride’.
Whilst sodium chloride is the chemical compound that is salt, ‘normal saline’ refers to a solution where a specific concentration (usually 0.9%) of sodium chloride is dissolved in water, making it a mixture rather than just the pure chemical compound itself.
So. What is normal saline solution?
Normal saline solution is a mixture of water and salt (sodium chloride, NaCl) with a salt concentration of 0.9%. In other words, for every 1 litre (1,000 millilitres) of water, there are 9 grams of salt.
Normal saline is one of the commonest types of IV (intravenous) fluid that doctors give people in a hospital.
This is because normal saline and human blood have the same balance of water and salt.
