If a Hospital Patient Is Mistakenly Administered Pure Water Instead

Multiple Choice

If a hospital patient is mistakenly administered pure water instead of a saline solution that is isotonic to blood during intravenous (IV) therapy, the patient's red blood cells will

A) shrink and collapse.
B) release water to the plasma along its concentration gradient.
C) absorb water from the plasma and eventually burst.
D) allow water to move through protein channels in the cell membrane in both directions.
E) lose their function, and the water level in the plasma will be maintained by white blood cells instead.