dilute
dy-LOOT verb Spanish diluir
To make a liquid weaker by adding more liquid, as when a diluent is added to a drug; as an adjective, weakened or watery.
- Spanish
- diluir
- Also written
- dilutes, diluted, diluting, dilution, dilutions
What it means
Diluting a drug lowers its concentrationkon-sen-TRAY-shunHow much of a substance is in a set amount of a mixture or solution, such as a drug's strength in milligrams per milliliter.Full entry : the same amount of drug is spread through more liquid. The dilution equation, C1 × V1 = C2 × V2 (concentration times volume before equals concentration times volume after), finds how much of a stronger drug to use. To make 50 mL of a 0.5% solution from a 1% one: 1% × V1 = 0.5% × 50 mL, so V1 is 25 mL of the 1% solution, made up to 50 mL with 25 mL of diluent. The body dilutes too: plasma that seeps into inflamed tissue dilutes germ toxins, and large amounts of irrigating fluid absorbed into the blood can dilute its sodium.
For the nurse
A drug diluted on the field is a new strength: write the new concentration on its label at once, and have a teammate check any calculation you are unsure of before the drug goes to the surgeon.
Words that go with it
Read these next: they turn up in the same notes, orders and questions.
DIL-yoo-entA liquid, such as sterile water or saline, added to a drug to dissolve a powder or to make a solution weaker.
concentrationkon-sen-TRAY-shunHow much of a substance is in a set amount of a mixture or solution, such as a drug's strength in milligrams per milliliter.
soluteSOL-yootA substance, such as salt or sugar, that is dissolved in a liquid.
irrigationeer-ih-GAY-shunWashing out a wound, body cavity, tube or eye with a steady flow of liquid.
A client’s heart rate is 128 beats per minute an hour after surgery. Which finding is the most likely cause of the tachycardia?
tak-ih-KAR-dee-uhA heart rate faster than normal; in an adult, more than 100 beats per minute.
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