Objective 69: Volume and Electrolyte Content

Contrast volume and electrolyte content in inter and extracellular fluid compartments....




Major fluid compartments of the body from Anatomy and Physiology textbook p.868*

 


Electrolyte composition of body fluids from Anatomy and Physiology textbook p. 869*

Looking at the first chart shown gives a very specific breakdown of the total body water and how it is broken down into the body's "fluid compartments".  The second chart gave an understanding of where the electrolytes are carried in the body's fluids.  The second chart showed results that I actually expected based on previous knowledge regarding depolarization events that take place in the nervous and muscular systems.  We were taught that there is a higher volume of potassium inside the cells and a higher volume of sodium on the outside of the cells.  The influx of sodium ions is what causes the cell to depolarize so that the signal can be transmitted.

Nurse's Note: Many processes in the body, especially in the brain, nervous system, and muscles, require electrical signals for communication. The movement of sodium is critical in generation of these electrical signals. Too much or too little sodium therefore can cause cells to malfunction, and extremes in the blood sodium levels can be fatal.

• Increased sodium (hypernatremia) in the blood occurs whenever there is excess sodium in relation to water. There are numerous causes of hypernatremia; these may include kidney disease, too little water intake, and loss of water due to diarrhea and/or vomiting.
• A decreased concentration of sodium (hyponatremia) occurs whenever there is a relative increase in the amount of body water relative to sodium. This happens with some diseases of the liver and kidney, in patients with congestive heart failure, in burn victims, and in numerous other conditions.

A Normal blood sodium level is 135 - 145 milliEquivalents/liter (mEq/L).