Clinical Electrolytes and Trace Metals

Vocabulary flashcards covering the characteristics, functions, reference ranges, and laboratory methods for major electrolytes and essential trace metals.

Sodium (Natrium)

The most abundant and primary extracellular cation, representing $90\%$ of all extracellular (EC) cations.

Potassium (Kalium)

The primary intracellular cation that determines intracellular fluid volume and hydrogen concentration.

Chloride

The major extracellular anion involved in the Hamburger Phenomenon (chloride shift) to maintain electroneutrality.

Bicarbonate

The second most abundant extracellular anion and a major component of the blood buffering system.

Magnesium ($Mg+$)

The fourth most abundant cation in the body and second most abundant intracellular cation; it acts as an enzyme activator for more than $300$ enzymes.

Calcium

The most abundant mineral element in the body, existing in ionized ($45\%$), bound ($40\%$), and complexed ($15\%$) forms.

Lactate

A by-product of anaerobic metabolism classified as Type A (hypoxic conditions) or Type B (metabolic origin).

Iron

An important constituent of hemoglobin and component of heme proteins used in oxygen transport or as enzymes in redox systems.

Hamburger Phenomenon

The chloride shift process that maintains electroneutrality, osmolality, and blood volume.

Sodium Reference Range

$136 - 145\,mmol/L$ in serum or plasma.

Potassium Critical Values

Hyperkalemia/Hyperpotassemia is identified at $6.5\,mmol/L$, while Hypokalemia is identified at $2.5\,mmol/L$.

Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry

The designated reference method for all electrolyte laboratory determinations.

Valinomycin membrane

The specific membrane used in Ion Selective Electrode (ISE) systems for potassium determination.

Schales and Schales

A mercurimetric titration method for chloride determination where excess mercury combines with diphenylcarbazone to form a blue color.

Fiske-Subbarow

A colorimetric method for measuring inorganic phosphate that uses a $TCA$ filtrate and ammonium-molybdate complex.

Clark Collip Precipitation

A method for calcium determination that ends with an oxalic acid product of purple color.

Lithium Heparin

The anticoagulant of choice for Sodium, Potassium, Chloride, Bicarbonate, and Magnesium determination.

Zinc

A trace metal essential for the synthesis of $RNA$ and $DNA$.

Copper

A trace metal used in hemoglobin synthesis; its containing protein is ceruloplasmin.

Wilson’s disease

A metabolic defect characterized by low levels of ceruloplasmin, causing copper to accumulate in the liver.

Manganese

A trace metal required for cholesterol synthesis.

Cobalt

A trace metal required for red cell synthesis.

Molybdenum

A trace metal involved in uric acid synthesis, with xanthine and hypoxanthine as precursors.

Chromium

A trace metal that functions as a part of the glucose tolerance factor.

Nickel

A trace metal that stabilizes nucleic acid structure.

Pseudohyperkalemia

An artifactual clinical implication where potassium levels appear elevated due to factors like hemolysis or muscular activity.

Hyponatremia Threshold Critical Value

A clinical critical limit for sodium concentration set at $120\,mmol/L$.

Hypernatremia Threshold Critical Value

A clinical critical limit for sodium concentration set at $160\,mmol/L$.