Understanding cellular action potentials help EMS providers understand what is causing their patients to present with specific clinical findings. Magnesium decreases the influx of sodium and thus diminishes physiologic function. Magnesium is one mechanism that decreases the influx of sodium by inhibiting calcium’s ability to hold the door open for sodium. Chloride, an anion, accomplishes a similar end through a totally different process. By offsetting the positivity of cations, cells are prevented from achieving adequate polarity to initiate a cellular action potential.
Read “Applying schoolhouse theory to magnesium and chloride” and watch a video explaining more, and test your knowledge on how the schoolhouse theory applies to the physiology of magnesium and chloride with the quiz below.
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