hypochloremia ,hypokalemia and hyponatremia

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I have a pt who has hypochloremia and hypokalemia along with hyponatremia. I don't under stand the relationship between hypochloremia and hypokalemia.

I did write that hypokalemia is related to my pt by:

drugs can cause decreased levels such as heparin. Tissue injury, such as pneumonia, can cause fluid and sodium to shift to the interstitial space. Kidneys problems can cause problems with the ability to reabsorb sodium, as indicated by this pts GFR.

Can anyone help me figure out the hypochloremia and hypokalemia and what the relationship is?

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
hypokalemia is related to my pt by. . .
hyperkalemia is caused by acidosis/ketoacidosis, taking aldosterone inhibiting diuretics, dehydration, excessive dietary intake of potassium or salt substitutes, excessive intakes of theophyllines, excessive infusion of potassium in iv fluids, massive hemolysis, muscle necrosis, tissue trauma where there has been crush injury to the tissues, transfusion of old banked blood or hemolyzed blood, tubular unresponsiveness to aldosterone. some of the medical conditions where you will see hyperkalemia are: acute or chronic renal failure, addison's disease, asthma, burns, chronic interstitial nephritis, hypoaldosteronism, infections, leukocytosis uremia, cases of near drowning and sometimes in pregnancy.

potassium is the most abundant intracellular electrolyte. it is essential for transmission of electrical impulses in cardiac and skeletal muscle. it transforms glucose into energy and amino acids into proteins. 80% to 90% of the body's potassium is excreted through the kidneys daily. damaged rbcs release potassium into the circulating fluid resulting in hyperkalemia. potassium is not reabsorbed by the kidneys so must be replaced through dietary consumption. we need to take in a minimum of 40meq of potassium daily to replace what we lose through our renal system with 60 to 100 meq being more of an average replacement.

foods high in potassium
:

  • vegetables
    :
    • potatoes

    • squash

    • tomatoes

    • mushrooms

    • dried beans

    • lima beans

    • carrots

    • spinach

    • asparagus

    • broccoli

    • artichokes

    [*]
    fruits:

    • figs

    • dates

    • raisins

    • cantaloupe

    • bananas

    • apricots (raw)

    • peaches (raw)

    • pears (raw)

    • apricots (dried)

    • orange juice

    [*]
    meats:

    • scallops

    • veal

    • chicken

    • beef

can anyone help me figure out the hypochloremia and hypokalemia and what the relationship is?
potassium has a reciprocal relationship with sodium. when the levels of one goes up, the levels of the other go down and vice versa.
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Think of alkalosis when you think of hypoK (low K). There are two common causes of alkalosis:

1) excessive loss of acid (HCL), such as vomiting & NG suctioning

2) increase in bicarb, such as taking too much antacids

Therefore, your pt has both low in K and CL d/t excessive loss of acid.

Also, hypoCL goes hand in hand with hypoNa (think of NaCL!). If you have restricted intake of salt, or using diuretics, you are more likely to have decrease in both Na and CL.

Hope that helps!

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Does anyone know where I can locate a study chart with the 6 electrolytes and S/S for hypo and hyper? I think it will be easier to learn if I have them on one chart. Any good study points for learning these?

Thank you!

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I like my Fluids and Electrolytes Made Incredibly Easy book for these issues. There is no chart but each electrolyte is explained in a way that I can understand.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
Does anyone know where I can locate a study chart with the 6 electrolytes and S/S for hypo and hyper? I think it will be easier to learn if I have them on one chart. Any good study points for learning these?

Thank you!

I have been working on such a chart to post on allnurses, but it is not completed yet. I have one more electrolyte to do and I want to review all the pathophysiologies for each of the electrolytes before posting the chart. The above information on potassium came from the partially completed chart. If you want a copy of the rough draft send me your e-mail address in a PM and I'll send you the file. Warning: it is not in a good printable condition.

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Hi friend.Could you forward that minerals chart to my email.Use my e-mail in profile or send me a private message. Thank you.

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.

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Thank you and carry on :)

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
hi friend.could you forward that minerals chart to my email.use my e-mail in profile or send me a private message. thank you.

potassium.doc

sodium.doc

magnesium.doc

phosphorus,phosphate.doc

calcium.doc

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hi daytonite,

i had trouble opening the files that you displayed. is there a trick? i surely appreciate the help in understand this process. thank you so much.:redpinkhe

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

i had trouble opening the files that you displayed. is there a trick? i surely appreciate the help in understand this process. thank you so much.:redpinkhe

i don't know why. ask one of the moderators if they can help you.

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Thank you for posting these handy charts, very informative.

Julie

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