Page 159 - Alaska A & P Primer

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FLUID, ELECTROLYTE, AND ACID-BASE BALANCE
SECTION OBJECTIVES
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. Bob is a 64-year-old male admitted to the emergency room for asthma. His laboratory results are as follows: pH 7.31, pCO2 higher than normal, and total HCO3– also higher than normal. Classify his acid-base balance as acidosis or alkalosis, and as metabolic or respiratory. Is there evidence of compensation? Propose the mechanism by which asthma contributed to the lab results.
2. Kim is a 38-year-old women admitted to the hospital for bulimia. Her labora- tory results are as follows: pH 7.48, pCO2 in the normal range, and total HCO3 – higher than normal. Classify her acid-base balance as acidosis or alkalosis, and as metabolic or respiratory. Is there evidence of compensation? Propose the mechanism by which bulimia contributed to the lab results seen.
3. Electrolytes are lost mostly through ________.
4. Define Interstitial fluid (IF).
5. The largest amount of water leaves the body via ________.
Homeostasis, or the maintenance of constant conditions in the body, is a fundamental property of all living things. In the human body, the substances that partici- pate in chemical reactions must remain within narrows ranges of concentration. Too much or too little of a single substance can dis- rupt your bodily functions. Be- cause metabolism relies on reac- tions that are all interconnected, any disruption might affect multi- ple organs or even organ systems. Water is the most ubiquitous sub- stance in the chemical reactions of life. The interactions of various aqueous solutions—solutions in which water is the solvent—are continuously monitored and ad- justed by a large suite of intercon- nected feedback systems in your body. Understanding theways in which the body maintains these critical balances is key to under- standing good health.
ECTION 26
Venus Williams Per
- spiring on the Tennis
Court
The body has critically impor
tant mechanisms for balanc ing the intake and output of bodily fluids. An athlete must continuously replace the wa- ter and electrolytes lost in sweat. (credit: “Edwin Martinez1”/Wikimedia Com
mons)
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1. Identify the body’s main fluid compartments
2. Define plasma osmolality and identify two ways in which plasma osmolality is maintained
3. Identify the six ions most important to the function of the body
4. Define buffer and discuss the role of buffers in the body
5. Explain why bicarbonate must be conserved rather than reabsorbed in the kidney
6. Identify the normal range of blood pH and name the conditions where one has a blood pH that is either too high or too low
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State of Alaska EMS Education Primer - 2016
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