help me remeber please!

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Hi all! I am almost through with nursing school and I still cannot get a couple of biggies down in my head. Any advice that you can give would be oh so appreciated! Here goes:

1. acid/base imbalances causes and symptoms (not actual lab values)

2. electrolyte imbalances causes and symptoms (not lab values)

Thanks so much!:clown:

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This may be one of those times for flash cards that you read when ever you have a spare moment (at a red light, waiting in line any where, etc).

Reminds me of when we had to memorize multiplication tables in grammar school.

One side - cause. Other side - signs & symptoms.

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Here are some common causes of the acid-base issues. The symptoms will vary with each cause.

Respiratory alkalosis - Hyperventilation (Normally CO2 would combine with water to produce carbonic acid. When you hyperventilate, the CO2 is blown off, so no carbonic acid, which leads to high pH, aka alkalosis.)

Respiratory acidosis - Hypoventilation/anything that causes you to not breathe very well (CO2 is being produced, but it is not being used up by ventilation, so it accumulates and decreases pH.)

Metabolic alkalosis - Vomiting (The loss of hydrogen ions in the stomach's hydrochloric acid leads to increased concentration of bicarbonate, which is a base, so pH goes up.) Sometimes you get a slightly increased bicarbonate level as compensation for resp acidosis, but if it's way high, you have metabolic alkalosis.

Metabolic acidosis - Diabetic ketoacidosis (The extremely high sugar levels cause formation of ketones, which depletes the body of its buffers.)

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

texgalrn. . .I struggled for years with acid/base and electrolyte imbalances. It was the specific reason I failed my first attempt at passing the national certification examination in IV Therapy. I used flashcards to learn that information for my second go-round on that test and finally nailed the questions.

I can tell you that I remember some things better because I have seen them clinically. I was very fortunate (not for the patient) very early in my career to see a patient have carpopedal spasms as a result of a very low serum Calcium level following a thyroidectomy where a parathyroid gland was accidentally excised. I have also seen what happens when a patient is given too much Potassium too rapidly and the effect on the heart. Once you see these kinds of things you tend not to forget them.

Flash cards are good ideas, especially for memorizing the actual number parameters. However, there is also another memory tool that you can use that doesn't get mentioned very often. That is to create little stories around material you are trying to memorize. It is how I memorized a list of the ADLs that we were given in my basic nursing program and had to know for a test. I created a kind of little play in my mind of all the actions I would go through during a day that included all the ADLs on this list. I "reheorificed" this little scenario over and over until I pretty much had it memorized. When it came time for the test it was so much easier for me to envision myself going through the physical activity scenario I had created and pull out the list of ADLs. So, what I'm suggesting is that you first develop a set of cards or lists of the causes and symptoms of the acid/base and electrolyte imbalances you want to learn. Then, for each one create a little story around it. Either use yourself as the patient, or create a patient with some little funny name. Then, develop a little play. Bob did this (cause) and this and began to experience this (symptoms). Be creative. If the symptom includes vomiting, make it a good barf that you won't forget in your mind. We learn better when there is some emotion attached to the items, so make these scenarios funny, or gross, or sad. You're the only one who's going to know about them anyway unless you share them with other people. But let me just say that a memory story that works for you may not work for someone else. If you have the opportunity in your clinicals to see any patients with manifestations of these conditions you really want to take on those patients. ICUs and stepdown/telemetry units are good places to see theses things.

Hope that memory tool can not only help you, but also give you a chance to have a little fun with some very dry, boring material you need to memorize.

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Specializes in Med Surg/Tele/ER.
Hi all! I am almost through with nursing school and I still cannot get a couple of biggies down in my head. Any advice that you can give would be oh so appreciated! Here goes:

1. acid/base imbalances causes and symptoms (not actual lab values)

2. electrolyte imbalances causes and symptoms (not lab values)

Thanks so much!:clown:

Oh gosh I am right there w/ya! :bluecry1:

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Specializes in Psych, Informatics, Biostatistics.

Thanks, great !

Here are some common causes of the acid-base issues. The symptoms will vary with each cause.

Respiratory alkalosis - Hyperventilation (Normally CO2 would combine with water to produce carbonic acid. When you hyperventilate, the CO2 is blown off, so no carbonic acid, which leads to high pH, aka alkalosis.)

Respiratory acidosis - Hypoventilation/anything that causes you to not breathe very well (CO2 is being produced, but it is not being used up by ventilation, so it accumulates and decreases pH.)

Metabolic alkalosis - Vomiting (The loss of hydrogen ions in the stomach's hydrochloric acid leads to increased concentration of bicarbonate, which is a base, so pH goes up.) Sometimes you get a slightly increased bicarbonate level as compensation for resp acidosis, but if it's way high, you have metabolic alkalosis.

Metabolic acidosis - Diabetic ketoacidosis (The extremely high sugar levels cause formation of ketones, which depletes the body of its buffers.)

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