Care of Client With Fluids and Electrolytes Imbalance (Process of Movement Across The Membranes)

3. FLUID MOVEMENT BETWEEN EXTRACELLULAR AND INTRACELLULAR FLUID

3.1. What are the mechanisms of controlling fluid and electrolyte movement?

Some of the processes include simple diffusion, facilitated diffusion, and active transport. Water moves as driven by two forces: hydrostatic pressure and osmotic pressure. Osmotic pressure is the amount of pressure required to stop the osmotic flow of water.

The fluid moves between intracellular and extracellular compartments through:

  • Osmosis causes fluid movement between the intravascular, interstitial, and intracellular fluid compartments based on solute concentration.
  • Movement of water is regulated by controlling the movement of electrolytes between fluid compartments. The movement of water between fluid compartments happens by the process of osmosis.
  • The lymphatic system helps maintain fluid balance in the body by collecting excess fluid and particulate matter from tissues and depositing them in the bloodstream. It also helps defend the body against infection by supplying disease-fighting cells called lymphocytes. This article focuses on the human lymphatic.
  • The intracellular fluid (ICF) and extracellular fluid (ECF) are separated by a semi- permeable cell membrane that is permeable to water but not to most solutes including electrolytes and proteins, which generally need transport systems to move across the membrane.
  • In the human body, body fluid is composed of intracellular fluid and extracellular fluid. Movement of water is regulated by controlling the movement of electrolytes between fluid compartments. The movement of water between fluid compartments happens by the process of osmosis.