Caring for Clients with Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Imbalances

Question 1

acidosis

Answer 1

excessive accumulation of acids or an excessive loss of bicarbonate in body fluids; can occur as a result of either metabolic or respiratory alterations

Question 2

acids

Answer 2

substances that release hydrogen

Question 3

active transport

Answer 3

use of energy to move chemicals from an area of low concentration to an area of higher concentration

Question 4

alkalosis

Answer 4

excessive accumulation of base or a loss of acid in body fluids; can occur as a result of either metabolic or respiratory alterations

Question 5

anion gap

Answer 5

difference between sodium and potassium cation concentrations and the sum of chloride and bicarbonate anions in the extracellular fluid

Question 6

anions

Answer 6

negative ions

Question 7

baroreceptors

Answer 7

stretch receptors in the aortic arch and carotid sinus that signal the brain to release ADH when blood volume decreases, systolic blood pressure falls, or the right atrium is underfilled, and to suppress ADH when blood volume increases, systolic blood pressure rises, or the right atrium is overfilled

Question 8

bases

Answer 8

chemical substances that bind with hydrogen

Question 9

bicarbonate-carbonic acid buffer system

Answer 9

regulates plasma pH by adding hydrogen ions to increase acidity and removing them to promote alkalinity.

Question 10

cation

Answer 10

positive-charged electrolyte

Question 11

Chvostek sign

Answer 11

assessment finding in which a client’s mouth twitches and jaw tightens following the tapping of the facial nerve

Question 12

circulatory overload

Answer 12

fluid volume that exceeds what is normal for the intravascular space and has the potential to compromise cardiopulmonary function if it remains unresolved

Question 13

compensation

Answer 13

acceleration of regulatory processes in the lungs and kidneys when an imbalance in acids or bases occurs

Question 14

dehydration

Answer 14

significant reduction of body fluid in both extracellular and intracellular compartments

Question 15

dependent edema

Answer 15

accumulation of fluid in the body areas most affected by gravity (the feet, ankles, sacrum, or buttocks)

Question 16

electrolytes

Answer 16

substances that carry an electrical charge when dissolved in fluid

Question 17

extracellular fluid

Answer 17

water in the body located outside cells

Question 18

facilitated diffusion

Answer 18

process in which dissolved substances require the assistance of carrier molecule to pass through a semipermeable membrane

Question 19

filtration

Answer 19

process that promotes the movement of fluid and some dissolved substances through a semipermeable membrane using pressure differences

Question 20

generalized edema

Answer 20

accumulation of fluid in all the interstitial spaces

Question 21

hemoconcentration

Answer 21

high ratio of blood components in relation to watery plasma

Question 22

hemodilution

Answer 22

reduced ratio of blood components in relation to watery plasma

Question 23

hypervolemia

Answer 23

high volume of water in the intravascular fluid compartment

Question 24

hypovolemia

Answer 24

low volume of extracellular fluid

Question 25

interstitial fluid

Answer 25

water located between cells

Question 26

intracellular fluid

Answer 26

water located within cells

Question 27

intravascular fluid

Answer 27

water located in the plasma (serum) portion of blood

Question 28

ions

Answer 28

positively and negatively charged substances

Question 29

natriuretic peptides

Answer 29

hormone-like substances that act in opposition to the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system

Question 30

osmoreceptors

Answer 30

specialized neurons that sense the concentration of substances in blood

Question 31

osmosis

Answer 31

movement of water through a semipermeable membrane from a lower to higher concentration of solutes

Question 32

passive diffusion

Answer 32

process in which dissolved substances such as electrolytes move from an area of high concentration of solutes to an area of lower concentration of solutes through a semipermeable membrane

Question 33

pitting edema

Answer 33

indentations in the skin following compression

Question 34

renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system

Answer 34

chain of chemicals that increases both blood pressure and blood volume

Question 35

serum osmolality

Answer 35

concentration of substances in blood

Question 36

skin tenting

Answer 36

assessment finding in which skin remains elevated and is slow to return to underlying tissue when pinched

Question 37

third-spacing

Answer 37

translocation of fluid from the intravascular or intercellular spaces to tissue compartments, where it becomes trapped and useless

Question 38

Trousseau sign

Answer 38

assessment finding in which the hand spasms after placing a blood pressure cuff on the client’s upper arm and inflating it between the systolic and diastolic blood pressure for 3 minutes