# Sodium/Potassium Pump



## EMS_Junkie (May 5, 2010)

Could somebody explain the sodium/potassium pump in the heart for me? I would like to learn more about it.


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## usafmedic45 (May 5, 2010)

As far as the mechanics of it go, please see: 
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sit...ion__how_the_sodium_potassium_pump_works.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na+/K+-ATPase

As far as how it effects electrical conductivity, I don't have a good link for that and I have to be heading for work in a couple of minutes.


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## JPINFV (May 5, 2010)

What are you trying to figure out? The sodium potassium pump ("ATPase") is a membrane bound protein that transports 3 sodium ions out of the cell and 2 potassium ions into the cell for every molecule of ATP used. The sodium potassium ATPase is also not unique to the heart and is essentially the motor of the cell (e.g. driving force behind facilitated diffussion).


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## 46Young (May 5, 2010)

The Essentials of Human Anatomy & Physiology Ninth Edition by Marieb addresses it well. Check the nervous system and cardiovascular chapters. If your program just gives an abbreviated A&P, al least reading this book will give you some help.


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## MrBrown (May 5, 2010)

46Young said:


> The Essentials of Human Anatomy & Physiology Ninth Edition by Marieb addresses it well. Check the nervous system and cardiovascular chapters. If your program just gives an abbreviated A&P, al least reading this book will give you some help.



Human A&P (the big thick one, not the "essentials") by Marieb 7e covers it too quite nicely in the Cells chapter.


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## JPINFV (May 5, 2010)

MrBrown said:


> Human A&P (the big thick one, not the "essentials") by Marieb 7e covers it too quite nicely in the Cells chapter.



Heck... any college level biology text should discuss this. I know it's covered in Cambell's Biology book.


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## 46Young (May 5, 2010)

MrBrown said:


> Human A&P (the big thick one, not the "essentials") by Marieb 7e covers it too quite nicely in the Cells chapter.



The "essentials" book is what our AAS medic students are using here. That's NAS 150. There's also a basic chem text that goes along with the class that addresses the sodium-potassium pump as well. The thick book to which you're referring is probably what I'll be using when I sign up for NAS 161, a nursing pre-req.


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## medicRob (May 8, 2010)

I would recommend, "Porth's Essentials of Pathophysiology" 







We used this book in nursing school, and it is still one of my favorites today that I reference regularly with regard to alterations in human pathophysiology. 

I furthermore recommend "Human Anatomy & Physiology" by Tortora. Again, these were the books I used for nursing school, and they go a little bit more in depth than what you will be required to know for paramedic school. However, they will definately have what you are looking for with regard to Na/K pump mechanisms.


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