Electrolytes Flashcards
What are the major ECF ions
Na and Cl
What are the major ICF ion
K
how is Hco3 generated
Carbonic anhydrase reactions in the lungs, gastric mucosa, kidney and RBC
TCO2
Total extractable CO2 from serum or plasma by addition of an acid. Most of it (955) bicarb. and HCO2 and TCO2 are essentially equal
What can cause abnormal electrolyte concentrations in plasma or serum
- Increased or decreased intake
- Shift between ECF and ICF
- Increased renal retention
- Increased loss through GI, renal, skin, airway
Hydration is essential to assessment
Mechanisms of dehydration and Na changes
- Loss or sequestration of hypotonic fluid (hypertonic dehydration)
- Loss of isotonic fluid (isotonic dehydration)
- Loss of hypertonic fluids (hypotonic dehydration)
Hypertonic dehydration
-Pure water loss results in hypernatremia
-ICF and ECF share burden but ECF has greater osmolality so water shifts to ECF
Causes of hypertonic dehydration
No access to water with continued insensible loss
(Panting, hyperventilation, fever)
Isotonic dehydration
-Fluids lost have the same amount of electrolytes as blood or serum
-Normonatremia
-ICF osmolality=ECF
-Animal shows other signs of dehydration (skin turgor, hyperalbuminemia, relative erthrocytosis)
Causes of isotonic dehydration
Vomiting and Diarrhea
Hypotonic dehydration
-Fluids with more electrolytes lost compared with blood/serum
-ECF osmolality < ICF fluid shifts into ICF
Hypotonic dehydration causes
Secretory diarrhea
Tonicity
Effective osmolality of a solution
Effective osmole-> do not cross permeable membranes
Ineffective osmoles-> readily cross membranes
Measured osmolality
Uses freezing point (lower if the concentration is raised) and measures effective and ineffective osmoles
Calculated osmolality
2(Na + K) if glucose and UN normal
Typically 300-310 and 10mOsm less than the measured
Osmolar gap
Measured osm- calculated osm
Normally 10mOsm
Increased osmolal gap
Increased number of osmotically active particles in blood not accounted for in equation (Lactate, ketones, alcohols, ethylene glycol, mannitol, oxalic acid, salicylic acid)
What is the mahor determinant of extracelullar tonicity
Na
Plasma Na controlled by
- Regulation of blood volume
- Regulation of plasma osmolality/ tonicity