Fluid Balance And Electrolyte Distribution In The Human Body

Date
1965-02
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Rand Corporation
Abstract
Description
This Memorandum presents a conceptual model and a mathematical method for computing the physiological fluid and electrolyte distribution for selected body compartments of an average, young, 70-kilogram human male. The mathematical procedure simulates the physiological subsystems by incorporating all the known chemical reactions and electrochemical relations which seem necessary to establish the fluid and electrolyte distribution. Because the whole body is being considered, the relatively large number of computations required argues that a computer be employed, The construction of the model and the mathematical background is given in heuristic form only, with reference to earlier papers for rigorous development. However, considerable detail is shown regarding the analysis of the computed results for a standard, steady-state, average, young, resting, 70-kg human male. Finally, the results of validation experiments, consisting of chemical stresses applied to the model, are discussed. In some cases, these results are compared with similar experiments in the biological literature, but in others reference is made to a companion paper by G. B. Bradham, et al. (1), in which particular laboratory validation experiments are described in detail. The results of these experiments indicate that the model is a valid supplementary tool for research in the clinical and the research laboratory as well as in theoretical physiology.
Keywords
Fluid Balance, Electrolyte Distribution, Human Body
Citation