Explain The Major Fluid Compartments In The Body
Fluids The amount of fluids in the body is extremely large. There are many different forms of fluid throughout the body, such as blood, urine, hormones, cerebral spinal fluid, water, albumin, and bile. The fluids that make up the body are required for homeostasis. There are many different functions of body fluids such as transporting nutrients, waste and gases, transforming food into energy and generate electrical activity to power body functions.
Physiologic Fluid Compartments
The major fluid compartments in the body are intracellular and extracellular fluid. Both compartments consist of oxygen, dissolved nutrients, carbon dioxide, and ions. Intracellular fluid (ICF) is the fluid located inside the cells of the body and is vital to normal …show more content…
cell functioning. It is the largest between the two compartments and consist of two thirds of the total amount of fluid in the body. Intracellular fluid contains substances that dissolve in liquids such as electrolytes, oxygen, and glucose. ICF is responsible for transporting wastes from the cells and directly into the blood through capillaries. The remaining one third of fluids in the body is found in extracellular fluids.
Extracellular fluid (ECF) is the fluid located outside of the cells. There are two main compartments of ECF, intravascular and interstitial. Intravascular fluid, also known as blood plasma, is found in the vascular system and makes up about 20% of the ECF. Interstitial fluid, also known as tissue fluid, surrounds the cells and makes up about 75% of the extracellular fluid. The fluid outside the cells is also made up of lymph, electrolytes and transcellular fluid. Extracellular fluid transports nutrients to and waste products from the cells.
Fluid Movement
The movement of fluids in the body are done by osmosis, diffusion, filtration, and active transport. Osmosis is the movement of water across a semipermeable membrane, down a concentration gradient, moving form a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated solution. As the water is moving down the gradient a pressure is generated called the osmotic pressure, which is the power of a solution to draw water across the membrane. Osmosis is important for maintaining fluid balance and homeostasis.
Diffusion is the movement of particles along a concentrated gradient. These particles are either charged or uncharged. Ions and molecules colliding in random motion is how diffusion gets energy. These particles move from a higher concentrated solution to a lower concentrated solution. The rate of diffusion is dependent on the size of the molecule, temperature and concentration of the solution.
Filtration is a when fluid and solutes move together from a higher pressure to a lower pressure across a membrane.
The pressure that is formed when the fluid and dissolved particles move out of the compartment is called filtration pressure. Filtration is part of the transfer of water between the capillary and interstitial spaces. The other three forces that control the movement of water are capillary colloidal osmotic pressure, hydrostatic pressure, and tissue colloidal osmotic pressure. Capillary colloidal osmotic pressure pulls water back into the capillary while tissue colloidal osmotic pressure pulls water out of the capillary into the interstitial …show more content…
spaces.
Active and passive transport both move molecules across a concentration gradient but active transport requires energy whereas passive transport does not. Active transport requires energy because it moves molecules from a lower to a higher concentration. Passive transport does not require energy because it moves molecules from a higher concentration to a lower concentration. Active transport is important in managing the differences in sodium and potassium concentrations of ECF and ICF.
Composition of Fluids
If there is a change in the content of water in the body the cells either shrink or swell.
Water attempts to equalize the concentrations on either side of the membranes by moving toward the higher concentrated solution. Solutes, substances that dissolve in liquid, can be crystalloids or colloids. Crystalloids are salts that dissolve in true solutions and colloids are substances that do not dissolve into a true solution, such as large protein molecules. The solution that can dissolve a solute is called a solvent. The concentration of solutes in the body fluids is referred to as the osmolality and the term tonicity referrers to the osmolality of a solution. The cells in the body are exposed to three different solutions classified as isotonic, hypotonic, and hypertonic.
Isotonic solutions have the same osmolality as body fluids. They do not change the size or shape of the cells, leaving them in a balanced state. Examples of isotonic fluids include 0.9% saline, Lactated Ringers (LR), D5W, 0.225% saline, D5/0.225%, Whole Blood, and Packed Red Blood Cells. 5% Dextrose, Normal Saline, Lactated Ringers are also examples of crystalloids which means they dissolve in true
solutions.
Hypotonic solutions have a lower osmolality than body fluids. When cells are placed in a hypotonic solution they swell and increase in size as water moves into the cell. An example of a hypotonic solutions is 0.45% saline, which is also an example of a crystalloid.
Hypertonic solutions have a higher osmolality than body fluids. Cells placed in this type of solution will shrink and decrease in size as water is pulled out of the cell. Examples of hypertonic solutions include 3% saline, D5/0.9% saline, D5/0.45% saline, and D5/LR.
Physiologic Fluid Compartments
The major fluid compartments in the body are intracellular and extracellular fluid. Both compartments consist of oxygen, dissolved nutrients, carbon dioxide, and ions. Intracellular fluid (ICF) is the fluid located inside the cells of the body and is vital to normal …show more content…
cell functioning. It is the largest between the two compartments and consist of two thirds of the total amount of fluid in the body. Intracellular fluid contains substances that dissolve in liquids such as electrolytes, oxygen, and glucose. ICF is responsible for transporting wastes from the cells and directly into the blood through capillaries. The remaining one third of fluids in the body is found in extracellular fluids.
Extracellular fluid (ECF) is the fluid located outside of the cells. There are two main compartments of ECF, intravascular and interstitial. Intravascular fluid, also known as blood plasma, is found in the vascular system and makes up about 20% of the ECF. Interstitial fluid, also known as tissue fluid, surrounds the cells and makes up about 75% of the extracellular fluid. The fluid outside the cells is also made up of lymph, electrolytes and transcellular fluid. Extracellular fluid transports nutrients to and waste products from the cells.
Fluid Movement
The movement of fluids in the body are done by osmosis, diffusion, filtration, and active transport. Osmosis is the movement of water across a semipermeable membrane, down a concentration gradient, moving form a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated solution. As the water is moving down the gradient a pressure is generated called the osmotic pressure, which is the power of a solution to draw water across the membrane. Osmosis is important for maintaining fluid balance and homeostasis.
Diffusion is the movement of particles along a concentrated gradient. These particles are either charged or uncharged. Ions and molecules colliding in random motion is how diffusion gets energy. These particles move from a higher concentrated solution to a lower concentrated solution. The rate of diffusion is dependent on the size of the molecule, temperature and concentration of the solution.
Filtration is a when fluid and solutes move together from a higher pressure to a lower pressure across a membrane.
The pressure that is formed when the fluid and dissolved particles move out of the compartment is called filtration pressure. Filtration is part of the transfer of water between the capillary and interstitial spaces. The other three forces that control the movement of water are capillary colloidal osmotic pressure, hydrostatic pressure, and tissue colloidal osmotic pressure. Capillary colloidal osmotic pressure pulls water back into the capillary while tissue colloidal osmotic pressure pulls water out of the capillary into the interstitial …show more content…
spaces.
Active and passive transport both move molecules across a concentration gradient but active transport requires energy whereas passive transport does not. Active transport requires energy because it moves molecules from a lower to a higher concentration. Passive transport does not require energy because it moves molecules from a higher concentration to a lower concentration. Active transport is important in managing the differences in sodium and potassium concentrations of ECF and ICF.
Composition of Fluids
If there is a change in the content of water in the body the cells either shrink or swell.
Water attempts to equalize the concentrations on either side of the membranes by moving toward the higher concentrated solution. Solutes, substances that dissolve in liquid, can be crystalloids or colloids. Crystalloids are salts that dissolve in true solutions and colloids are substances that do not dissolve into a true solution, such as large protein molecules. The solution that can dissolve a solute is called a solvent. The concentration of solutes in the body fluids is referred to as the osmolality and the term tonicity referrers to the osmolality of a solution. The cells in the body are exposed to three different solutions classified as isotonic, hypotonic, and hypertonic.
Isotonic solutions have the same osmolality as body fluids. They do not change the size or shape of the cells, leaving them in a balanced state. Examples of isotonic fluids include 0.9% saline, Lactated Ringers (LR), D5W, 0.225% saline, D5/0.225%, Whole Blood, and Packed Red Blood Cells. 5% Dextrose, Normal Saline, Lactated Ringers are also examples of crystalloids which means they dissolve in true
solutions.
Hypotonic solutions have a lower osmolality than body fluids. When cells are placed in a hypotonic solution they swell and increase in size as water moves into the cell. An example of a hypotonic solutions is 0.45% saline, which is also an example of a crystalloid.
Hypertonic solutions have a higher osmolality than body fluids. Cells placed in this type of solution will shrink and decrease in size as water is pulled out of the cell. Examples of hypertonic solutions include 3% saline, D5/0.9% saline, D5/0.45% saline, and D5/LR.