Assignment 4

1 .		Imagine that you are a nurse in a hospital caring for a man with a kidney infection and kidney stones. Because of these problems, this patient is not producing sufficient amounts of urine. He is receiving nutrients and antibiotics administered through an intravenous (IV) line. You just changed his IV bag to a new bag containing 1 liter (L) of solution, but you inadvertently adjusted this IV bag so that fluid is entering the patient too rapidly. What may happen to this patient if the entire bag is administered? How will this increase in body fluid affect important cardiovascular parameters? Consider these questions before you begin the simulation.
2 .		Simulate this situation by clicking on the Start button to monitor cardiovascular parameters in a normal human. Allow this to proceed for a few seconds. In the Interventions view, select IV Infusion from the popup menu, then click on the Apply Intervention button twice in rapid succession to simulate the IV infusion of a large volume of fluid. What happens to each of the following parameters: MAP, heart rate, stroke volume, total peripheral resistance, and blood volume? Does each response make sense to you? Explain each effect.
3 .		Formulate a working hypothesis below to predict the effects of a decrease in blood volume on MAP. What happens to each of the following parameters: MAP, heart rate, stroke volume, total peripheral resistance, and blood volume? Does each response make sense to you? Explain each effect. Relate these observations to your hypothesis.