The name bacteriostatic water is not a common name for us. Interestingly, you have seen it on several occasions, of course without having any clue about it. Surely, we have visited medical facilities to meet someone close to us getting treatment there. The clear tubes from which liquid is passing and is attached to the arms of the patient must have caught your attention. The injection put on those clear liquid bags are bacteriostatic water. So, does it kill bacteria? Let us identify.
A brief overview of bacteriostatic water
It is easy to confuse bacteriostatic water with sterile water. Bacteriostatic water is indispensable in hospitals and any treatment care facilities. For facilitating various treatment options, hospitals or any medical facilities inject patients with different forms of life-saving fluids.
Some examples include saline, glucose, and many more. Bacteriostatic water is made from filtered water and is sterilized.
Benzyl alcohol is one of its key ingredients that serve the most crucial purpose. Owing to the presence of this substance, it gets the “static” tag. As you can see, referring to the exampled above, its main purpose is diluting medications.
Bacteriostatic water does not kill bacteria. It inhibits bacterial growth in water, which is equally important in medical facilities. For more information on bacteriostatic water, refer to ebac-water.com.
Bacteriostatic water is not anti-bacterial
We reiterate and want to get your facts right. If you were told, bacteriostatic water kills bacteria, it is a myth. bacteriostatic water is not an anti-bacterial agent. The sole purpose of this clear fluid is to prohibit the growth of bacteria. There is a valid reason why it does not kill bacteria. Generally, anti-bacterial agents tend to have adverse reactions to different medicines.
When bacteriostatic water is used with sterile water, the fluid does not contain any bacteria. But, after its initial use, the container holding the water can contaminate bacteria. With the help of bacteriostatic water, those bacteria are unable to multiply,
so the water remains safe for reuse. Gradually, bacteriostatic water loses its ability to restrict bacterial growth. Thus, medical practitioners discard bacteriostatic water containers after 28 days.
Bacteriostatic water can be used in three ways
Health care professionals can inject bacteriostatic water in three ways, intravenous, intramuscular, and subcutaneous. The procedure depends on the type of medications, or after determining the best path for making the injection effective. The decision solely depends on the doctor.
Benefits of bacteriostatic water
As already mentioned, bacteriostatic water has a host of benefits. First of all, it helps dilute medications. Then doctors can also use it multiple times during a treatment period. As it does not kill the bacteria outright, bacteriostatic water restricts any further growth of the bacteria. Another factor that makes bacteriostatic water so popular is its low cost.
Even if you are not attached to the medical field, you can manufacture bacteriostatic water at home. Lastly, you can locate bacteriostatic water in most of the medical care centers.
