Blood Gases and Critical Care Testing

Metabolic acidosis Metabolic acidosis is defined as a clinical process that leads to a decreased blood pH (acidemia) and a decreased HCO 3 level. It is caused by a gain of acidic compounds and/or loss of a base, usually bicarbonate.…

Introduction and history of blood gases The term “blood gas” refers to the parameters pH, p CO 2 , and p O 2 measured in blood. Note that the little “p” in pH stands for negative log, while the italicized…