Fluid therapy flashcards q/a

Flashcards covering key concepts of fluid balance, dehydration, fluid types, and vitamin supplementation in veterinary patients.

What percentage of an animal's total weight is typically water weight?

50-70%

What are the three main compartments where total body water is found?

Intracellular (ICF), Interstitial, and Intravascular

What makes up the Extracellular Fluid (ECF)?

Intravascular and Interstitial fluid

Define Anion and Cation

Anion: Negatively charged particle. Cation: Positively charged particle.

What is the definition of 'Equivalents'?

The weight in grams of an element that will combine with one gram of hydrogen ion; a unit to tell how many particles are in a solution.

What is diffusion?

A process in which substances move from areas of high concentrations to areas of low concentrations.

What is Osmosis?

The movement of water from areas of low solute concentration to areas of high solute concentration across a semipermeable membrane.

Define Hypertonic, Hypotonic, and Isotonic solutions.

Hypertonic: Higher concentration. Hypotonic: Lower concentration. Isotonic: Equal concentration.

What happens when you inject a hypotonic solution into the bloodstream?

Water tends to move into the interstitial and intracellular areas (and out of the vascular space).

What happens when you inject a hypertonic solution into the bloodstream?

Water is drawn from the interstitial and intracellular areas into the blood vessel.

List the sources of water intake for an animal.

Water taken in orally, Water ingested in food, Water resulting from food metabolism (metabolic water)

List the sources of water loss for an animal.

Urine, Fecal water, Sweat, Respiration (breathing out moistened air)

What occurs when an animal loses more water than it has taken in?

Dehydration

List some signs of dehydration.

Vomiting, Diarrhea, Lack of desire to drink, Dry and tacky mucous membranes, Skin that doesn’t return to normal when pulled (using the skin turgor test), Weak or unsteady pulse, No or little bulging of the jugular vein

What changes in lab values suggest dehydration?

Relative increase in packed cell volume (PCV), Relative increase in total plasma protein (TPP), and Increase in urine specific gravity (SG).

Define Fluid Debt.

The amount of fluids you need to replace to get an animal rehydrated.

What is the formula to calculate maintenance fluids?

20–30 ml per pound per day OR 1ml of fluid per pound of body weight per hour

List routes of fluid administration other than intravenous.

Oral, Intraosseous, Intraperitoneal, Subcutaneous

How often should IV catheters be flushed?

Every 12 hours.

What are some signs of overhydration?

Restlessness, Clear nasal discharge, Crackles when you listen to lungs with a stethoscope, Tachycardia, Dyspnea

What is the difference between a macrodrip and a microdrip IV set?

A typical macrodrip set gives 10 drops per ml. A microdrip set might give 60 drops per ml.

Name common types of Crystalloid solutions.

Lactated ringers, 0.9% saline, Normosol, Plasma-Lyte

When should colloids be administered?

When total plasma protein gets less than 3.5 g/dl or albumin is less than 1.5 g/dl.

Name commonly used colloids.

Dextrans and hetastarch

Name common substances used to 'spike' fluids.

Sodium bicarbonate, Potassium chloride, Calcium, Dextrose

Why are B-complex vitamins important during fluid therapy?

They are water-soluble vitamins essential for metabolism that can be diluted out during prolonged fluid therapy.

Name the fat-soluble vitamins.

Vitamins A, D, E, and K.

What can low levels of vitamin D lead to in reptiles?

Metabolic bone disease.

What is Vitamin K1's involvement in the clotting process?

If an animal consumes rat poison, vitamin K can work as an antidote, because the poison’s effects are countered by binding with vitamin K.