Question

A nurse is teaching about the major anion in the extracellular fluid. Which information from the client indicates teaching was successful?

a) "Chloride is the major extracellular anion."
b) "Potassium is the major intracellular cation."
c) "Sodium is the major extracellular cation."
d) "Bicarbonate is the major intracellular anion."

Answer 1

The statement a) "Chloride is the major extracellular anion." indicates successful teaching about electrolytes in the ECF. Chloride helps maintain osmotic balance and electrical neutrality alongside sodium, the major extracellular cation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The information that indicates the teaching about the major anion in the extracellular fluid (ECF) was successful is: a) "Chloride is the major extracellular anion."

Chloride ions (Cl-) are the predominant extracellular anions and play a critical role in maintaining the osmotic pressure gradient between the intracellular fluid (ICF) and ECF. Chloride also helps to balance the positive charge of cations like sodium (Na+), which is the major extracellular cation, ensuring electrical neutrality in the ECF. Moreover, the regulation and excretion of chloride are closely linked with those of sodium, reflecting their close association in the ECF.

Potassium (K+), on the other hand, is the major intracellular cation, with a concentration that is significantly higher inside the cells than in the extracellular environment. The sodium-potassium pumps located in cell membranes work to maintain these concentration gradients, actively moving sodium out of the cell and potassium into the cell, a process which consumes ATP.