What Is Agitated Saline?

Agitated saline is made by creating reflective bubbles in a saline solution so that the path of the fluid can be better observed as it moves through a patient's veins. Because it is sterile and has comparable salinity to the human body, agitated saline is used in various medical applications, particularly a procedure called an agitated saline echo contrast test (ASCT) that is used to gather information about heart patients.

Saline

• In its most basic sense, saline refers to a salt water solution. Sodium chloride (NaCl) -- commonly known as salt -- is mixed with distilled water and sterilized to be introduced into the human body. Saline solution is often used, for example, to treat dehydrated persons by returning fluids to the body. The level of sodium chloride in the solution depends on the particular needs of the patient.

Agitated Saline

• Agitated saline is saline that has been excited so as to create bubbles within the liquid solution. The bubbles within the saline solution allow medical professionals to better observe the flow of the saline through non-agitated fluids, such as blood.

Preparation

• The preparation of agitated saline is fairly simple; The saline solution is transferred very quickly between two syringes to create tiny bubbles within the liquid. It is important that all of the equipment being used is sterile to avoid any contamination of the saline.

Agitated Saline Echo Contrast

• Perhaps the most common use of agitated saline is an agitated saline echo contrast. This procedure involves injecting a heart patient with agitated saline and observing the flow of the solution -- via its reflective bubbles -- through the chambers of the heart. If the bubbles do not follow a normal pattern of blood flow, there is likely a complication or blockage that must be addressed.