A patient is being admitted to the floor following a motor vehicle accident. because of the stressful nature of the event, the nurse anticipates the patient will continue to have a sympathetic reaction during the post operative period. When monitoring the patient's serum electrolytes, what will the nurse closely monitor?

A) Norepinephrine: Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter primarily involved in the sympathetic nervous system. It is not involved in terminating the stimulation caused by acetylcholine. Norepinephrine acts on adrenergic receptors, whereas acetylcholine primarily acts on cholinergic receptors.
B) Decarboxylase: Decarboxylase is an enzyme that plays a role in the synthesis of certain neurotransmitters, including dopamine, but it does not have a role in terminating the action of acetylcholine at the effector cell. It is unrelated to the termination of acetylcholine signaling.
C) Catecholamine: Catecholamines (such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine) are a group of neurotransmitters involved in the sympathetic nervous system. While they play a role in synaptic transmission, they are not responsible for breaking down acetylcholine or terminating its effects. Their primary function is in adrenergic signaling.
D) Acetylcholinesterase: Acetylcholinesterase is the correct enzyme. It is responsible for breaking down acetylcholine (ACh) in the synaptic cleft after it has stimulated the effector cell. By hydrolyzing acetylcholine into acetate and choline, acetylcholinesterase effectively terminates the signal and allows the effector cell's membrane to repolarize. This action prevents continuous stimulation and ensures proper function of the cholinergic system.

A) The blood cells will migrate to the bone marrow:
While the bone marrow is responsible for producing red blood cells, dehydration and hypertonicity of the blood would not cause the red blood cells to migrate to the bone marrow. Migration of blood cells typically refers to white blood cells moving toward sites of infection or inflammation, not a response to dehydration.

B) The red cells will precipitate out of circulation:
Red blood cells do not precipitate out of circulation due to dehydration or hypertonic conditions. Instead, dehydration causes a shift in water balance that leads to changes in the shape and function of the red blood cells. Precipitation of cells is not a physiological response in this context.

C) They will swell and eventually rupture:
In conditions of hypertonicity, where the concentration of solutes (such as sodium) in the blood is higher than normal, red blood cells actually shrink, not swell. When blood is hypertonic, water moves out of the red blood cells into the extracellular space to balance the osmotic pressure, leading to cell shrinkage. Cells only swell in hypotonic conditions, when water moves into the cell.

D) The cells will shrink and shrivel, decreasing their oxygen-carrying ability:
When the body becomes dehydrated, the blood becomes hypertonic (more concentrated), leading to a shift of water out of the red blood cells to try to balance the osmotic gradient. As a result, the red blood cells shrink and shrivel. This shrinkage can impair their ability to carry oxygen effectively, as the cells may become more rigid and less flexible, making it difficult for them to navigate through small blood vessels and perform gas exchange in the lungs and tissues.