assessment of what is going on

Last reviewed 01/2018

Assessment of acid base disorders requires knowledge of:

• respiratory component - PCO2
• metabolic component:
• standard bicarbonate
• base excess - greater than three implies metabolic alkalosis, less than minus three implies metabolic acidosis

There is usually a correspondence between respiratory performance and the metabolic derangement, e.g. a moderate metabolic acidosis will cause moderate hyperventilation. If this correspondence breaks down then another pathology should be suspected.

Understanding what is going on may be helped by a working knowledge of the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation.