{{Short description|Electrolyte solution for use in healthcare}} thumb|Ringer's solution '''Ringer's solution''' is a solution of several salts dissolved in water for the purpose of creating an isotonic solution relative to the body fluids of an animal. Ringer's solution typically contains sodium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium chloride and sodium bicarbonate, with the last used to buffer the pH. Other additions can include chemical fuel sources for cells, including ATP and dextrose, as well as antibiotics and antifungals.
==Composition== Ringer's solution typically contains NaCl, KCl, CaCl<sub>2</sub> and NaHCO<sub>3</sub>, sometimes with other minerals such as MgCl<sub>2</sub>, dissolved in distilled water. The precise proportions of these vary from species to species, particularly between marine osmoconformers and osmoregulators.<ref>{{cite web |title=COMPENDIA NOTES, PART B: RINGER'S SOLUTIONS |url=http://comm.archive.mbl.edu/BiologicalBulletin/COMPENDIUM/Comp-RGRNotes.html |website=Marine Biological Laboratory |accessdate=10 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Table 3. Composition of Ringer's Solution |url=https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Composition-of-Ringers-Solution_tbl3_229066650 |website=Research Gate |accessdate=10 June 2018}}</ref>
==Uses== Ringer's solution is frequently administered to human and veterinary patients for intravenous or subcutaneous hydration and to expand the vascular compartment in hypovolemia. It is also use in ''in vitro'' experiments on organs or tissues, such as ''in vitro'' muscle testing.<ref>{{cite web |title=What is Ringer's solution? |url=http://hydrotherapy.info/en-GB/pages/ringers-solution-uk |website=HydroTherapy |accessdate=10 June 2018 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140520/http://hydrotherapy.info/en-GB/pages/ringers-solution-uk |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Titanium–magnesium based composites: Mechanical properties and in-vitro corrosion response in Ringer's solution |journal=Materials Science and Engineering: A |date=20 Jun 2013 |volume=573 |pages=119–126 |doi=10.1016/j.msea.2013.02.040 |last1=Esen |first1=Ziya |last2=Dikici |first2=Burak |last3=Duygulu |first3=Ozgur |last4=Dericioglu |first4=Arcan F. |hdl=11511/36093 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Effect of Plasma-Activated Lactated Ringer's Solution on Pancreatic Cancer Cells In Vitro and In Vivo |journal=Annals of Surgical Oncology |date=Jan 2018 |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=299–307 |doi=10.1245/s10434-017-6239-y |pmid=29139022 |last1=Sato |first1=Yusuke |last2=Yamada |first2=Suguru |last3=Takeda |first3=Shigeomi |last4=Hattori |first4=Norifumi |last5=Nakamura |first5=Kae |last6=Tanaka |first6=Hiromasa |last7=Mizuno |first7=Masaaki |last8=Hori |first8=Masaru |last9=Kodera |first9=Yasuhiro |s2cid=118485 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Retaining ionic concentrations during in vitro storage of tissue for microanalytical studies |journal=Journal of Microscopy |date=3 Mar 1999 |volume=193 |issue=3 |pages=257–267 |doi=10.1046/j.1365-2818.1999.00461.x |last1=Hongpaisan |first1=J. |last2=Roomans |first2=G. M. |pmid=10199004 |s2cid=20969681 }}</ref> The precise mix of ions can vary depending upon the taxon, with different recipes for birds, mammals, freshwater fish, marine fish, etc.
Ringers solution may also be used for therapeutic purposes, such as arthroscopic lavage in the case of septic arthritis.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Clinical Management of Septic Arthritis in a Sheep: A Case Report |journal=Advances in Animal and Veterinary Sciences |date=July 2017 |volume=5 |issue=6 |pages=267–270 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318338747}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Effect of irrigation solutions for arthroscopic surgery on intraarticular tissue: comparison in human meniscus-derived primary cell culture between lactate Ringer's solution and saline solution |journal=Journal of Orthopaedic Research |date=2002 |volume=20 |issue=6 |pages=1305–1310 |doi=10.1016/S0736-0266(02)00062-1 |pmid=12472244 |last1=Shinjo |first1=Hirotaka |last2=Nakata |first2=Ken |last3=Shino |first3=Konsei |last4=Hamada |first4=Masayuki |last5=Nakamura |first5=Norimasa |last6=Mae |first6=Tatsuo |last7=Miyama |first7=Takahide |last8=Horibe |first8=Shuji |last9=Yoshikawa |first9=Hideki |last10=Ochi |first10=Takahiro |doi-access=free }}</ref> It is used clinically as an intravenous infusion for replacing extracellular fluid losses and restoring chemical balances when treating isotonic dehydration.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ringers Solution for Infusion |url=https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/1865/smpc |website=Electronic Medicines Compendium |accessdate=10 June 2018}}</ref>
==History== Ringer's solution is named after British clinician, physiologist and pharmacologist Sydney Ringer, who in 1882–1885 determined that a solution perfusing a frog's heart must contain sodium, potassium and calcium salts in a definite proportion if the heart is to be kept beating for long.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hille|first=Bertil|title=Ionic Channels of Excitable Membranes|year=1984|publisher=Sinauer Associates, Inc.|location=Sunderland, Mass. 01375|isbn=978-0-87893-322-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|pmid = 14742734|pmc = 1664856|year = 2004|last = Miller|first = David J.|title = Sydney Ringer; physiological saline, calcium and the contraction of the heart|volume = 555|issue = 3|pages = 585–587|doi = 10.1113/jphysiol.2004.060731|journal = The Journal of Physiology}}</ref> This solution was adjusted further in the 1930s by Alexis Hartmann, who added sodium lactate to form Ringer's lactate solution.<ref name=ICU2012>{{cite book|last1=Marino|first1=Paul L.|last2=Sutin|first2=Kenneth M.|title=The ICU Book|date=2012|publisher=Lippincott Williams & Wilkins|isbn=9781451161557|page=363|edition=3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RAk9ai42yjMC&pg=PT363|language=en}}</ref>
== References == <references />
Category:Buffer solutions Category:Intravenous fluids