Reference no: EM133572268

Case Study: A 55 year old male shortly after finishing a marathon became confused, dizzy, extremely weak and began to cramp. He immediately began to drink water but did not improve, instead he suddenly collapsed without becoming unconscious. The nurse on the scene assessed the patient's condition and concluded that he was severely dehydrated. She proceeded to give him 1000 mL of dextrose 5% in water (D5W) intravenously. The patient did not improve, instead he began to have a seizure so he was immediately taken to the hospital. At the hospital a blood panel was ran and it revealed that he was severely hyponatremic. Medical history also revealed that the patient suffers from chronic hyperglycemia (diabetes), adrenal insufficiency, lactose intolerance and high blood cholesterol. He was treated with hypertonic saline (3% NaCl) and a diuretic. He recovered within 24 hours.

Question: Why was he given hypertonic saline?