Ringer’s solution is one of the laboratory solutions, which consist of salts dissolved in water, which helps in the survival of tissues rooted for a longer time, in addition to helping it restore blood volume in victims and burns. In the following article, we will learn about the types of Ringer’s solution, the reasons for its use, and its potential harm.

Types of Ringer’s lotion

Ringer solution has three types, including the following types of Ringer’s solution:

1. Ringer’s injection

The normal Ringer’s solution consists of the following ingredients:

Indications

• Increased blood volume When a patient loses a lot of blood as a result of bleeding, which helps prevent the patient from entering a coma or dying.
• In cases of severe diarrhea and vomiting; To maintain the balance of electrolytes (minerals) in the body in what is called (electrolyte balance), in addition to replacing the salts that the patient has lost.
• cases of drought; it contains potassium, chlorine and calcium.
• In draining the pus by laparoscopic lavage (Arthroscopic lavage), the solution goes into the knee joint, which helps the doctor remove excess fluid or any soft bodies that may be in the knee joint.

2. Ringer lactate

Ringer’s lactate solution is similar to regular Ringer’s solution in its components, but with lactate added.

The solution works by sending lactate to the liver. To turn into bicarbonate, which helps treat mild acidity.

Indications

Indications for the use of Ringer’s lactate solution include the following cases:

• Cases of severe diarrhea.
• Mild acidosis.
• Burn cases.

3. Ringer acetate solution

Ringer’s acetate solution is similar to normal Ringer’s solution in its components, but acetate is added to it.

In contrast to the lactate Ringer’s solution, the acetate solution converts acetate into bicarbonate through all tissues and organs of the body, not just the liver.

The process of converting acetate to bicarbonate is faster than the process of converting lactate to bicarbonate, which helps in faster absorption by the cells of the body.

Indications

Indications for the use of Ringer’s acetate solution include the following cases:

• Acidosis treatment.
• Treatment of a patient with lactate acidosis.

In addition, Ringer’s acetate solution is a better choice than other types for patients with liver and diabetes, and works to reduce calcium excretion from the body as well.

Difference between Ringer’s solution and salt solution

There are some differences between Ringer’s solution and salt solution, but they also have some similarities.

Similarities

• Both solutions are liquids, given intravenously, and are commonly used in hospitals and healthcare settings.
• Both are fluids that have the same osmotic pressure as blood, so they are called isotonic fluids. Osmotic pressure is a measure of the balance of solutes (such as sodium, calcium, and chloride) of a solvent (such as water).

This helps not cause the cells to shrink or swell. Instead, both solutions will increase the fluid volume in the body.

The differences

• Both solutions differ in some of the components that each solution includes, so Ringer’s solution does not last as long in the body as saline solution, which can be a beneficial effect of avoiding fluid overload within the body.
• Among the different components between the two solutions is the added sodium lactate, which turns inside the body into what is called bicarbonate, and this may help make the body less acidic, so some doctors may use Ringer’s solution when treating some medical conditions such as sepsis.

Some research suggests that Ringer’s solution may be preferable to saline solution for replacing lost fluids in trauma patients.

On the other hand, saline solution is high in chloride, and this can sometimes cause narrowing of the renal vessels, affecting blood flow to the kidneys. However, this effect is usually not a concern unless the person receives a large amount of saline solution.

Another difference is that Ringer’s solution does not mix with some intravenous solutions. On the other hand, saline can be mixed with some of the following intravenous solutions:

What is the use of Ringer’s solution for pregnant women?

Ringer’s solution is used to increase blood volume and treat water deficiency, which helps in the transmission of nerve impulses and the contraction of heart muscles as well, thus maintaining normal kidney and body functions.

In general, there is no concern when using Ringer’s solution for pregnant women, as there have been no known damages to the pregnant woman so far, but a doctor should still be consulted before using it.

What is the use of Ringer’s solution for children?

Ringer’s solution may be used for children to compensate for the deficiency of some minerals in the body, which include potassium, sodium, and calcium.
But for newborns, this solution is forbidden to be used with them, and a doctor should be consulted as well.

Ringer’s solution damage

Because Ringer’s solution contains calcium, some doctors don’t recommend using it when transfusing a person’s blood. The extra calcium may bind to preservatives added to the blood, and this may increase the risk of blood clots.

Caution must also be taken because the chlorine present in the solution may interact with the anticoagulant substance present in the blood bag, which may pose a great risk to the patient’s health and the occurrence of a blood clot as well.

Ringer’s solution may also cause an increase in the level of potassium in the blood, which may cause severe complications, especially for patients with kidney failure, such as cardiac arrest.

In addition, Ringer’s solution should not be used with Ceftriaxone injection, because the interaction between them may lead to the formation of white calcium chloride deposits, which may lead to death when its quantity is increased, especially for newborns.

As for Ringer’s lactate solution, it has some other side effects, which are:

• Liver patients may accumulate lactate, which may cause harm to the body.
• The sugar level may rise due to lactate, especially for diabetics.
• It may increase the damage of lactate acidosis, especially for those who already suffer from it.

Ringer’s solution price

It should be noted that the price varies from country to country, and prices may vary from period to period as well, depending on the changes that occur in the market, and the price of Ringer solution in Egypt often ranges as follows:

• The price of a normal Ringer’s injection ranges from 1.5 to 14 Egyptian pounds.
• The price of the Ringer lactate solution ranges from 6 to 14 Egyptian pounds.
• The price of the Ringer acetate solution ranges from 6.5 to 11 Egyptian pounds.