2. Spanky Weaselsnot was at a friend\'s birthday party when he accidentally ate

Question

2. Spanky Weaselsnot was at a friend's birthday party when he accidentally ate something with peanuts in it. Unfortunately, Spanky suffers from peanut allergies and had an allergic reaction. He started to have trouble breathing and felt light-headed. Parts of his face started to swell. One of the causes of these symptoms is the widespread release of histamine in the body. Histamine causes vasodilation and increases the permeability (leakiness) of capillaries. Spanky's condition seemed serious, so the parents who were hosting the party called for paramedics. When the paramedics arrived, they measured Spanky's blood pressure and his heart rate. His blood pressure (supine) was 80/50. His heart rate (supine) was 110 beats per minute. [Your answers should clearly and completely explain the chain of causality. For example, instead of saying histamine lowers blood pressure, you should explain each step between release of histamine and blood pressure dropping.] (a) How did the release of histamine lower Spanky's blood pressure so much? (5 points) (b) Why was his heart rate so high? (5 points) (c) What effect would Spanky's difficulty breathing have on blood pH? Explain why. How would you classify this disorder in terms of acid-base homeostasis? (5 points) One of the paramedics starts an infusion of an isotonic saline solution (0.9% NaCl). Another paramedic gives Spanky an intramuscular injection of epinephrine using an EpiPen. (d) How would an injection of epinephrine help with Spanky's symptoms? (5 points) (e) How would an infusion of saline help with Spanky's symptoms? (5 points)

Explanation / Answer

A. Release of histamine lowered spanky's blood pressure by causing dilatation of blood vessels and increased permeability. These two reasons results in decreased blood volume and thus decreases blood pressure.

B. Spanky's heart rate was high because when histamine is released it combines with H2 receptors and increases heart rate. Also because blood volume is decreased in this condition, as a compensatory mechanism heart starts beating fast.

C. Due to increased capillary permeability results in pulmonary edema. This causes difficulty in breathing. It results in respiratory acidosis since it cannot remove carbon di oxide. Since difficulty in breathing is resulting in respiratory acidosis, it disrupts the acid base balance in our body.

D. It is very useful in giving epinephrine injection because it relax airway muscles and constricts the blood vessels. Hence difficulty in breathing and decreased blood volume will be corrected.

E. To compensate the blood loss due to increased capillary permeability the saline infusion helps in maintaining the blood volume and thereby heart stops beating fast.

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