A nurse in the neurologic ICU has orders to infuse a hypertonic solution into a patient with increased intracranial pressure
This solution will increase the number of dissolved particles in the patient's blood, creating pressure for fluids in the tissues to shift into the capillaries and increase the blood volume. This process is best described as which of the following?
A) Hydrostatic pressure
B) Osmosis and osmolality
C) Diffusion
D) Active transport
Ans: B
Feedback:
Osmosis is the movement of fluid from a region of low solute concentration to a region of high solute concentration across a semipermeable membrane. Hydrostatic pressure refers to changes in water or volume related to water pressure. Diffusion is the movement of solutes from an area of greater concentration to lesser concentration; the solutes in an intact vascular system are unable to move so diffusion normally should not be taking place. Active transport is the movement of molecules against the concentration gradient and requires adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as an energy source; this process typically takes place at the cellular level and is not involved in vascular volume changes.
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