PBL Learning Objectives II Flashcards
What is normal potassium (K+)?
High intracellular Low extracellular (plasma)
What does insulin do to K+?
Insulin drives K+ into cells (activates the Na/K ATPase pump)
What happens to K+ when there is low insulin?
K+ is stuck in the serum
What is the acidosis buffer mechanisms that causes hyperkalemia?
- Blood bicarbonate is depleted (due to ketones)
- Compensation for low blood pH occurs by pushing H+ into cells
- Need to balance incoming + charge by pushing K+ (antiporter) out into the serum
- This results in Hyperkalemia
Why do we need to replace K+ during DKA treatment?
Patient has hyperkalemic serum, but it occurs at the cost of her body cells losing their K+
–> cells are hypokalemic and K+ will need be replaced during treatment
How is K+ lost during diuresis?
Most ketones are secreted as potassium/sodium salts.
–Solutes are bound to ketones and are excreted –> net loss of Na+ (hyponatremia) and K+ is lost in the kidney (contributing to body hypokalemia when treatment restores ability of cells to uptake the K+)
What happens in cases of hyperglycemia?
[Remember intracellular K+ is usually high]
- With hyperglycemia, IC water flows out into the hyperosmotic EC space
- This decreases the IC volume, increasing solute concentrations
- Since H2O left the cell, IC [K+] is even higher
- -> stronger gradient for K+ to leak out of cells into serum (solvent drag) –> K+ can actually flow out thru aquaporins with H2O
What is the mechanism of Tm transport of glucose in the proximal tubule?
Normally = 100% of filtered glucose is reabsorbed in the proximal tubule, from lumen to peritubular capillaries.
-This is done by sodium-glucose transporters, known as SGLTs (sodium-glucose linked transporters)
What sodium glucose transporters absorb the most?
SGLT2s reabsorb 90% of glucose
What is Tm?
Transport maximum - the saturation point of SGLTs
What happens to glucose at the Tm?
Once Tm is reached, you will not be able to reabsorb glucose and it will remain in urine.
At what glucose level does it start to be secreted in urine?
15 mM of glucose = glucosuria
What does glycosuria lead to?
Osmotic diuresis!
In a general sense, what causes orthostatic hypotension in DKA?
Volume depletion –> low blood volume
-Our patient is undergoing osmotic diuresis in response to hyperglycemia
What is the mechanism behind orthostatic hypotension?
- Stand up
- Blood goes to legs, shifts out of central venous compartment to peripheral venous compartment
- Decreased stroke volume
- Decreased BP
- The reflex to decreased BP: decreased baroreceptor firing –> increased sympathetic nervous system –> increased RAAS in kidneys and increased heart rate
When does osmotic diuresis occur?
If the normal tight coupling between sodium and water reabsorption in the proximal tubule is disrupted.
What does diuresis mean?
Increased urine flow
What is osmotic diuresis?
Denotes situation in which increased urine flow is due to an abnormally high amount of any solute that is not reabsorbed at all (ex. mannitol) or is filtered at such a high rate that much is left in the tubule (ex. very high plasma glucose), leaving large amounts of solute in the lumen (INCREASE OSMOLARITY –> More stuff)
How does high serum glucose cause osmotic diuresis?
Normally water is reabsorbed from tubule –> BUT The increased concentration of unabsorbed solutes (glucose) in urine/glucose’s osmotic presence retards the further reabsorption of water (holds water in the lumen).
What happened in our PBL case to case osmotic diuresis?
Filtered load of glucose exceeded the tubular maximum (increased glucose in filtrate) and unreabsorbed glucose acts as an osmotic diuretic.