Exam 3 Renal Assessment Flashcards
The kidneys sit retroperitoneal between _______ and _______.
Which kidney is slightly more caudal (lower) to accommodate the liver?
T12 and L3
Right
What is the functional unit of the kidney?
Nephron
The kidneys receive ______% (range) of CO.
20% to 25% (1- 1.25 L)
Besides the kidneys, what organ is retroperitoneal?
Spleen
Primary functions of the kidneys (6 functions).
- Maintain extracellular volume and composition
- Blood Pressure Regulation (Intermed/Long)
- Excretion of Toxins and Metabolites
- Maintain Acid-Base Balance
- Hormone Production (EPO)
- Blood glucose homeostasis
The lungs and kidneys are the primary regulators of acid-base balance, where the lungs excrete __________ and the kidneys excrete the ___________.
Lungs excrete volatile acids (CO2)
Kidneys excrete non-volatile acids
Inadequate oxygen delivery to the kidney causes it to release ________.
Erythropoietin
Things that can cause decreased O2 delivery: anemia, reduced intravascular volume, and hypoxia.
What can reduce EPO production and lead to chronic anemia?
Severe kidney disease
Calcium requires ________ for adequate absorption and utilization.
Calcitriol (Active Vitamin D)
How does Vitamin D get activated?
Through the kidneys.
What hormone will increase active Vitamin D levels?
PTH
Negative feedback loop
For someone who is chronically anemic what can they take?
Synthetic EPO and Iron to generate more RBC
Long term dialysis patients will be on these medications, dialysis will negate the RBCs.
____-% of body weight in non-obese patients is composed of water.
60%
What are the two main fluid compartments?
ECF and ICF
Per this lecture ECF is _______ the volume of ICF.
1/2
What are the ways osmolality sensors in the anterior hypothalamus regulate fluid?
Stimulate thirst
Release Vasopressin (ADH)
What is a normal sodium level?
135-145 mEq/L
There are no absolute cut offs for sodium level for surgery, but these numbers will be a good reference.
Na level below _________ mEq/L and above _______ mEq/L are a no go for surgery.
Below 125 mEq/L
Above 155 mEq/L
What are some causes of hyponatremia?
Prolonged sweating
Vomiting/diarrhea
Insufficient aldosterone secretion
Excessive intake of water
What percent of people in the hospital have hyponatremia?
15%
There are two patient populations where we are most concerned about sodium levels.
Neuro patients
Kids
The most severe consequence of hyponatremia are these three things:
Seizures
Coma
Death
What are treatments for hyponatremia?
Treat underlying causes
Normal Saline
Hypertonic 3% Saline (1 meq/L/hr)
Lasix
Mannitol
Over half of the patients that had their sodium corrected faster than 6 mEq/L in 24 hours can cause __________ syndrome.
What could this result in?
osmotic demyelination
Seizures, coma, death
What is the dose and rate of 3% hypertonic saline for patients that are hyponatremic and seizing?
3-5 mL/kg of 3% saline
Give dose of over 15-30 minutes
Hyponatremic seizures are a medical emergency and can cause __________ brain damage.
Irreversible
What are the causes of hypernatremia?
Excessive evaporation
Insufficient ADH
Poor oral intake (very young, old)
Overcorrection of hyponatremia
Excessive sodium bicarb to tx acidosis
Be cautious when using sodium bicarb to treat acidosis, what is a good alternative to use if you want to avoid raising sodium?
Tromethamine injection (THAM) is indicated for the prevention and correction of metabolic acidosis.
Effects of hypernatremia
Orthostasis - syncope from standing up
Restlessness
Lethargy
Tremor
Muscle Twitching/ Spasticity
Seizures
Death
Treatments for hypernatremia?
First, assess volume status (tachycardic, hypotensive, u/o, skin turgor, CVP, SV variation)
Then treat the cause.
Treatments for the following.
Hypernatremic Hypovolemia:
Hypernatremic Hypervolemia:
Hypernatremic Euvolemic:
Hypernatremic Hypovolemia: normal saline
Hypernatremic Hypervolemia: diuretic
Hypernatremic Euvolemic: water replacement (PO or D5W)
What is normal potassium level?
3.5 to 5 mEq/L
Patients will not go to surgery if potassium is less than ______ or greater than _______ mEq/L.
K+ less than 3 mEq/L
K+ greater than 5 mEq/L
What are the causes of hypokalemia?
Excessive release of aldosterone
Diuretics drugs (Lasix, hydrochlorothiazide)
Kidney disease
Excessive intake of licorice (kids eating too much licorice.)
DKA (frequent urination)
Effects of hypokalemia.
Generally, cardiac and neuromuscular (K+ of 2mEq/L)
Dysrhythmias (K+ of 2mEq/L)
Muscle weakness
Cramps (Eat a banana)
Paralysis
Illeus (lose parastalsis)
What changes in EKG will you see with hypokalemia?
U-waves
You will see this on the exams and boards.
Treatments for hypokalemia
IV/PO Potassium
May require days to correct.
10 mEq of potassium will increase serum K+ by _____ mEq/L.
0.1 mEq/L
Why may PO potassium be faster in increasing serum potassium levels?
A larger dose can be given PO compared to 10-20 mEq/hr with IV.
When replacing potassium levels, what other electrolytes do you need to keep an eye on?
Phosphorus (normal levels 2.5 - 4.5 mg/dL)
Who are at the most risk of dysrhythmias when getting potassium replacement?
CHF patients
Digoxin patients
What are the causes of hyperkalemia?
Renal disease (long-term dialysis pt, fistula)
Insufficient secretion of aldosterone
Acidosis
Tissue/muscle damage
Use of depolarizing NMBD (Sch)
Hypoventilation
With hypoventilation, a pH decrease of 0.1 will cause a ______(range) increase in potassium.
0.4 to 1.5 mEq/L increase in potassium
What are the effects of hyperkalemia?
Potentially asymptomatic
GI upset
Malaise
Skeletal muscle paralysis
Severe cardiac dysrhythmias (cardiac arrest)
Lowers resting membrane potential
Decreases action potential duration
What are EKG presentations of hyperkalemia?
Peaked T-waves (can progress into sine waves if hyperkalemia is severe)
Treatment of hyperkalemia
Bicarbonate
Glucose
Insulin (10U and 25g of D50)
Calcium (stabilize cell membrane)
Increase RR
Albuterol
Dialysis
What do CRNAs do that can cause hyperkalemia in a patient?
Massive Transfusion Protocol and Blood Products
What are lab tests for renal function?
GFR (best measurement) 125-140 ml/min- great for trends but not for acute states.
Creatinine Clearance (best for acute state)
Serum Creatinine 0.6-1.2mg/dL - estimate of GFR
What is creatinine?
A substance produced by skeletal muscle and is a byproduct of creatine breakdown.
Creatinine production is constant and directly __________ to muscle mass.
proportional
A emaciated individual will probably have a lower creatinine level compared to a bodybuilder. But if you see that a cachectic person has a high creatinine level, it might be a sign that the kidneys are not working well.
Creatinine undergoes renal _________ but not _________, making it a useful indicator of GFR.
Creatinine undergoes renal filtration but not reabsorption, making it a useful indicator of GFR.
100% increase in creatinine indicates a ____% reduction in GFR.
50%
If creatinine goes from 1.2 to 2.4, GFR will decrease by 50%.
Large amounts of protein in the urine may suggest ________ injury.
Labs values and test.
Glomerular Injury
(High levels of protein can also mean UTI and not glomerular injury.)
> 750 mg/day of urine protein or 3+ on dipstick
What are normal BUN ranges?
8-20 mg/dL
BUN can be misleading. Diet and changes in intravascular volume can increase or decrease BUN.
What does specific gravity compare?
What are normal ranges of specific gravity?
Comparing 1 mL of urine to 1 mL of distilled water. Measures the ability of the kidney to concentrate or dilute urine.
1.001-1.035
What is BUN: Creatinine ratio?
10: 1
________ is the primary metabolite of protein metabolism in the liver.
Urea
Because urea undergoes filtration and reabsorption, BUN is a better indicator of ____________ symptoms than as a measure of GFR.
Uremic symptoms
What causes BUN of <8 mg/dL?
Overhydration, too much hydration, dilution.
Decrease Urea production (malnutrition, liver dz)
EtOH patients will forget to eat and get calories just from the booze.
What causes a BUN of 20-40 mg/dL?
Dehydration
Increase Protein Input (high protein, GIB, Hematoma breakdown)
Catabolism (Trauma, Sepsis)
Decrease GFR
What causes a BUN >50 mg/dL?
Decrease GFR
Which lab test is a good evaluation of fluid hydration status?
BUN: Creatinine Ratio
BUN can undergo filtration and reabsorption. Creatinine only undergoes filtration. Because of this reason, the ratio between these substances in the blood is helpful in evaluating hydration status.