Introduction The focus in this chapter is on metabolic acidosis due to the accumulation of acids. Two disorders that can cause this type of metabolic acidosis are not discussed in this chapter. Ketoacidosis was discussed in Chapter 5 . Metabolic…
Introduction Although ketoacidosis is a form of metabolic acidosis because of the addition of acids, it is discussed separately in this chapter to emphasize the metabolic and biochemical issues required to understand the clinical aspects of this disorder (see margin…
Introduction Metabolic acidosis could be caused by the gain of acids or the loss of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO 3 ). In this chapter, we focus on metabolic acidosis caused by the loss of NaHCO 3 . In this type of…
Introduction In this chapter, our goal is to provide a bedside approach to the patient with metabolic acidosis. This approach focuses not only on diagnosing the cause of metabolic acidosis but also (and importantly) on identifying and managing emergencies that…
Introduction There are four primary acid–base disturbances, two metabolic and two respiratory. Each of these disorders has an expected compensatory response, which is aimed at minimizing the change in H + ion concentration. These expected responses, unfortunately, must be memorized.…
Introduction Our goal in this chapter is to describe the physiology of hydrogen ions (H + ) and how acid–base balance is achieved. From a chemical perspective, H + is the smallest ion (atomic weight 1) and its concentration in…