A prepared solution may need to be diluted to reduce its osmolarity to a target level. For example, a solution may need to be diluted to make it iso-osmolar with serum or other body fluid.
Parameters:
(1) volume of solution being prepared in mL (using the same value for both initial and target solution)
(2) osmolarity of initial solution
(3) target osmolarity of final solution
(4) amount of original solution to be removed and replaced by water in mL
(osmolarity of initial solution) * ((volume of solution) - (amount of solution to remove)) = (target osmolarity) * (volume of solution)
If this is rearraanged:
amount of initial solution to be removed and replaced by water in mL =
= (volume of solution) * ((osmolarity of initial solution) - (target osmolarity)) / (osmolarity of initial solution)
The osmolarity of the final solution should be checked to confirm the osmolarity.
The solutions must be well-mixed at each step to ensure a proper dilution.
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