Saline (medicine)

In medicine, saline (also saline solution) is a solution of sodium chloride (NaCl, table salt) in water. It is used to flush wounds and skin abrasions, as eye drops, for intravenous infusion, rinsing contact lenses, nasal irrigation, and a variety of other purposes. Concentrations of salt vary from low to normal to high. High concentrations are used rarely in medicine but frequently in molecular biology. For parenteral (intravenous) application and tissue irrigation, most commonly used is sterile normal saline, containing 9.0 g of salt per liter (0.90%).