Body fluid compartments

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Body Fluid Compartments - The Body's Inner Ocean

  • Total Body Water (TBW): Constitutes ~60% of adult male body weight. Formula: $TBW = 0.6 × Body Weight (kg)$.
  • Intracellular Fluid (ICF): 2/3 of TBW (~40% body weight). Rich in K+, Mg2+, and phosphates.
  • Extracellular Fluid (ECF): 1/3 of TBW (~20% body weight). Rich in Na+, Cl-, and HCO3-.
    • Interstitial Fluid (ISF): 3/4 of ECF.
    • Plasma: 1/4 of ECF.

Body Fluid Compartments and Fluid Exchange

Third Spacing: In states like sepsis or pancreatitis, fluid moves from the intravascular compartment to the interstitial or non-functional "third space" (e.g., peritoneal cavity), causing intravascular depletion and edema despite normal or even excess TBW.

Compartment Composition - What's in the Soup?

Electrolyte Concentrations in Body Fluid Compartments

  • Overall Osmolarity is Equal (~290 mOsm/L): Despite different compositions, water moves freely to maintain osmotic equilibrium.
Ion/SubstanceExtracellular Fluid (ECF)Intracellular Fluid (ICF)
CationsNa+ (140), Ca2+K+ (140), Mg2+
AnionsCl- (104), HCO3-Phosphate, Proteins

Gibbs-Donnan Effect: Negatively charged proteins in the ICF repel Cl- ions, leading to a lower intracellular Cl- concentration than predicted by the Nernst potential alone. This also influences the distribution of other permeable ions.

Measuring Fluid Volumes - Tag, Dilute, Measure

The indicator dilution principle is used to measure fluid compartments. A known quantity of a tracer is injected, allowed to equilibrate, and its final concentration is measured.

  • Principle: $Volume = \frac{Amount\ of\ tracer\ injected\ (Q)}{Final\ tracer\ concentration\ (C)}$

  • Tracers for Direct Measurement:

    • Total Body Water (TBW): D₂O, ³H₂O, antipyrine.
    • Extracellular Fluid (ECF): Inulin, mannitol, sucrose (cannot cross cell membranes).
    • Plasma Volume (PV): Radiolabeled albumin (e.g., ¹²⁵I-albumin), Evans blue dye.
  • Calculated Compartments:

    • Intracellular Fluid (ICF): $ICF = TBW - ECF$
    • Interstitial Fluid (ISF): $ISF = ECF - PV$

⭐ The Intracellular Fluid (ICF) volume, the largest compartment, cannot be measured directly. It must be calculated by subtracting the ECF from the TBW.

Tritium oxide distribution in body fluid compartments

Fluid Dynamics - The Great Exchange

  • Starling Equation: Governs fluid movement across capillaries, balancing hydrostatic and oncotic pressures.
    • $J_v = K_f [ (P_c - P_i) - \sigma (\pi_c - \pi_i) ]$
  • Hydrostatic Pressure (P): Pushes fluid OUT of the capillary. Primarily driven by blood pressure.
  • Oncotic Pressure (π): Pulls fluid IN, maintained by plasma proteins (mainly albumin).

Capillary fluid exchange: Hydrostatic and oncotic pressures

  • Filtration vs. Reabsorption:
    • Arterial end: Net filtration (hydrostatic > oncotic).
    • Venous end: Net reabsorption (oncotic > hydrostatic).

⭐ Hypoalbuminemia (e.g., in liver failure, nephrotic syndrome) ↓ plasma oncotic pressure, leading to generalized edema.

High‑Yield Points - ⚡ Biggest Takeaways

  • Total Body Water (TBW) is approximately 60% of body weight, split between Intracellular Fluid (ICF) at 2/3 and Extracellular Fluid (ECF) at 1/3.
  • The ECF is further divided into interstitial fluid (75%) and plasma (25%).
  • Sodium (Na+) is the principal extracellular cation; Potassium (K+) is the main intracellular cation.
  • Water shifts between compartments are driven primarily by osmotic gradients.
  • ADH regulates plasma osmolality (water balance), while aldosterone regulates volume (sodium balance).

Practice Questions: Body fluid compartments

Test your understanding with these related questions

A 62-year-old man presents to the emergency department with confusion. The patient’s wife states that her husband has become more somnolent over the past several days and now is very confused. The patient has no complaints himself, but is answering questions inappropriately. The patient has a past medical history of diabetes and hypertension. His temperature is 98.3°F (36.8°C), blood pressure is 127/85 mmHg, pulse is 138/min, respirations are 14/min, and oxygen saturation is 99% on room air. Physical exam is notable for a confused man with dry mucous membranes. Initial laboratory studies are ordered as seen below. Serum: Na+: 135 mEq/L Cl-: 100 mEq/L K+: 3.0 mEq/L HCO3-: 23 mEq/L BUN: 30 mg/dL Glucose: 1,299 mg/dL Creatinine: 1.5 mg/dL Ca2+: 10.2 mg/dL Which of the following is the most appropriate initial treatment for this patient?

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Flashcards: Body fluid compartments

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What type of graft is from self? _____

TAP TO REVEAL ANSWER

What type of graft is from self? _____

Autograft

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