Yes I new to this
Can anyone enlighten me. I know if tha Na+ is changed by 2 mEq/l, then my 142 (14.2) conductivity would go to a 144 (14.4), but does the same hold true for KCl? If if you know that ans, then what about Calcium.
Thanks

Boog,

Potassium has a single + charge, the same as sodium so it's effect would be the same as sodium. Calcium on the other hand has a ++ charge so a 1 mEq change would change your conductivity by about 0.2 mS

Chuck

It may be less confusing to refer to these changes as % increases, or decreases.

So, if we start with a 145 Na, and we increased the Na by 1%, the final Na would be about 146.5. Some would call that a significant change.

If that same "bath" also contained say 1.0 K, that same 1% increase would only result in about .01 mEq K increase - final result would be 1.01 K. The same is true for all of the other "minor" constituents of the "bath". The change is barely significant.

The TOTAL conductivity is a consequence of ALL of the constituents of the "bath". But because Na is by far and away the largest contributor to the TOTAL conductivity we have the good fortune of talking and thinking about these changes as though they only affect the Na content. EVERYTHING else in the "bath" increases and decreases with the Na level. Its just that all of the other constituents are in such small concentrations compared to the Na that the change is really sort of insignificant.