Electrolytes

The blood plasma is consists of electrolytes. It comprise of both negative and positive charge. The negative charge is made up of chloride, bicarbonate and phosphates. The positive charge is made up of calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium. This specifies the condition of the body’s acid-base ratio, water balance, endocrine and renal systems. These indicate the condition of your body's acid-base ratio, endocrine and renal systems, water balance and other conditions. There is a fine line between the intracellular and extracellular electrolytes to maintain an electrolyte balance, according to the Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health. Electrolytes have many functions, such as regulating heart rhythms and affecting the amount of water retained in your body. In conditions such as CHF, excess sodium causes water retention leading to edema. Electrolyte imbalance is one possible cause of abnormal heart rhythms, or arrhythmias. The electrical system of the heart depends on the right amount of electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium, to function in rhythm, force and rate to provide adequate blood supply throughout the body. Types of arrhythmias include too fast, too slow and electrical impulses initiating in the wrong chamber of the heart. Abnormal heart rhythms can increase the risk for heart failure. http://www.livestrong.com/article/395096-congestive-heart-failure-electrolytes/ Electrolyte abnormalities are a frequent and potentially hazardous complication in patients with heart failure. This may be due to the pathophysiological alterations seen in the heart failure state leading to neurohumoral activation (stimulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, sympathoadrenergic stimulation), and due to the complications of therapy with diuretics, cardiac glycosides or ACE inhibitors. Patients with heart failure may exhibit hyponatremia due to a decrease in water excretion, which may be related to the enhanced release of both