Question 1

Which of the following statements represents a true difference between the fluids and electrolytes of a child compared to those of an adult?

Accepted Answer

Infants and children have a relatively greater body surface area compared to adults, which affects their fluid and electrolyte balance.

Question 2

Children reach adult water distribution percentages in the body by the time the child is how old?

Accepted Answer

By the age of 5 years, children typically reach adult water distribution percentages in their bodies.

Question 3

What percentage of an infant's body water is located in extracellular spaces?

Accepted Answer

The extracellular space accounts for approximately 40% of total body water in infants.

Question 4

Which of the following substances is the predominant component of extracellular fluid?

Accepted Answer

Saline, or sodium chloride (NaCl), is the predominant component of extracellular fluid. Sodium ions (Na+) are the most abundant positively charged ions in the extracellular fluid, playing a crucial role in fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle function.

Question 5

Regulation of homeostatic changes associated with fluids and electrolytes in infants and young children is much slower than in adults because of children's:

Accepted Answer

Immature kidneys and buffering systems in infants and young children contribute to slower regulation of homeostatic changes associated with fluids and electrolytes compared to adults. This immaturity affects their ability to balance and excrete electrolytes and fluids efficiently.

Question 6

Insensible water loss per unit of body weight is:

Accepted Answer

Infants and children have a higher surface area to body weight ratio, leading to higher insensible water loss compared to adults.

Question 7

When solutes flow from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration until equilibrium is reached, given that pressures on either side of the membrane are equal, the movement of the solute across the membrane does so by:

Accepted Answer

Diffusion is the process where solutes move from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration until equilibrium is reached, and this movement does not require energy.

Question 8

Which of the following types of pressure is a force caused by the amount of plasma proteins in the vascular system and which holds the fluids in the capillaries?

Accepted Answer

Oncotic pressure, also known as colloid osmotic pressure, is the force exerted specifically by proteins, such as albumin, in the blood plasma or other fluids. It plays a crucial role in retaining fluid within the vascular system by counteracting the hydrostatic pressure that pushes fluid out of the vessels.

Question 9

Which kind of pressure is a force within the capillary beds that tends to pull water into the capillaries?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which kind of pressure is a force...

Question 10

Which of the following is the pressure of blood against the capillary walls generated by the contraction of the heart?

Accepted Answer

Hydrostatic pressure is the pressure of blood against the capillary walls generated by the contraction of the heart. This force helps to push fluid out of the capillaries into the surrounding tissues.

Question 11

When the nurse takes a blood pressure reading, the nurse is measuring which of the following kinds of pressure?

Accepted Answer

Hydrostatic pressure is the pressure exerted by a fluid due to its weight. When taking a blood pressure reading, the nurse measures the hydrostatic pressure exerted by the blood against the walls of the arteries.

Question 12

The formula for calculating daily fluid requirements for an infant weighing less than 10 kilograms is:

Accepted Answer

The standard formula for calculating daily fluid requirements for an infant weighing less than 10 kilograms is 100 milliliters per kilogram.

Question 13

What is the daily fluid requirement for an infant weighing 5 kilograms?

Accepted Answer

The daily fluid requirement for an infant is approximately 100 milliliters per kilogram of body weight. For an infant weighing 5 kilograms, this would be 500 milliliters (5 kg x 100 ml/kg = 500 ml).

Question 14

You are the nurse calculating the minimum acceptable urine output per hour for an infant who weighs 5 kilograms (kg). Which of the following amounts in cubic centimeters (cc) would you find to be acceptable?

Accepted Answer

The minimum acceptable urine output for an infant is typically calculated as 2 cc/kg/hour. For an infant weighing 5 kg, this would be 10 cc/hour at the minimum. Therefore, an output of 10-15 cc/hour is acceptable, aligning with choice B.

Question 15

The normal minimum urine output for older school-aged and adolescent children is how many milliliters per kilogram per hour?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The normal minimum urine output for older...

Question 16

Which of the following is the electrolyte responsible for establishing and maintaining the osmolarity and volume of the extracellular fluid?

Accepted Answer

Sodium is the primary electrolyte responsible for the regulation of the body's osmolarity and volume of extracellular fluid. It plays a key role in fluid balance and electrolyte homeostasis.

Question 17

The nurse coming on duty gets a laboratory report on an assigned child, and the serum sodium level is reported as 133 milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L). The nurse would expect this client with a 133 mEq/L sodium level to:

Accepted Answer

BA serum sodium level of 133 mEq/L is slightly below the normal range (typically 135-145 mEq/L), indicating hyponatremia. Symptoms of hyponatremia can include headache, muscle weakness, abdominal cramps (A), and intense thirst, among others (B). These symptoms reflect the body's response to the low sodium concentration in the blood.

Question 18

When the nurse finds that a child has a sodium level of more than 145 milliequivalents per liter, the nurse would most expect to see:

Accepted Answer

A sodium level of more than 145 milliequivalents per liter indicates hypernatremia, which often presents with symptoms of dehydration such as dry mucous membranes and thirst.

Question 19

The difference between the intracellular and the extracellular level of potassium determines the:

Accepted Answer

The difference between the intracellular and extracellular levels of potassium is crucial for maintaining the resting membrane potential of cells, particularly neurons and muscle cells. This gradient is essential for the excitability of these cells, allowing them to respond to stimuli by generating action potentials. Pulse pressure, blood viscosity, and the amount of edema are influenced by other factors, not directly by the potassium gradient.

Question 20

You are the nurse assigned to care for a child on the pediatric unit. The lab calls with a potassium level of slightly over 5 milliequivalents per liter. This report comes just as you note a widened QRS complex on the electrocardiogram (EKG). From this information, you realize this:

Accepted Answer

A potassium level slightly over 5 milliequivalents per liter, combined with a widened QRS complex on the EKG, indicates hyperkalemia, which can lead to dangerous cardiac arrhythmias and potentially cardiac arrest if not treated promptly.

Quiz 21: Fluid and Electrolyte Alterations