ABG Flashcards
Normal pH
7.35 - 7.45
How to convert kPa to mmHg
x 7.5
ABG interpretation
Oxygenation
What is the primary acid base disturbance
Is there compensation
Is the compensation adequate
Is a metabolis acidosis or alkalosis present - how severe
What is the anion gap
What is the delta gap
What is the cause
Hb
Electrolyte changes
What effect does an alteration of CO2 have on pH
- For every 10mmHg increase in PaCO2 the pH will decrease by 0.08 not accounting for bicarbonate compensation
- If chronic then for every 10mmHg increase in pH expect a pH decrease of 0.003 due to renal compensation
Normal bicarbonate
- Normal 22-26 (24) (venous 2 lower than arterial)
ABG bicarbonate accuracty
Calculated based on Henderson Hasselbach equation
Why is utilising bicarbonate level for acid base calculations used? Why is this flawed
- Using the bicarbonate level to determine changes in H+ and acidosis utilises the change in bicarbonate reflexing an equivalent amount of acid hidden by its buffering mechanism however it can also be altered by
◦ Compensatory pCO2 that occurs due to hyperventilation
◦ Pre-existing alkalosis - meaning metabolic acidosis occurs even in presence of a high HCO3
Define base excess
- Dose of acid/alkali required to return blood to pH 7.4 at 37 degrees and pCO2 of 40mmHg and Hb 150g/L
Which type of base excess is used for Copenhagen tests? Why?
◦ Standard base excess uses ECF rather than whole blood - as it is heterogenous and cannot easily be sampled with ABG machine calculates the SBE of anaemic blood with Hb 50g/L using the actual base excess –> (cBase(Ecf))
‣ Standard base excess used for Copenhagen tests
What is the difference between standard base excess and actual base excess?
◦ Standard base excess uses ECF rather than whole blood - as it is heterogenous and cannot easily be sampled with ABG machine calculates the SBE of anaemic blood with Hb 50g/L using the actual base excess –> (cBase(Ecf))
‣ Standard base excess used for Copenhagen tests
Negative base numbers reflect?
Base deficit, or acid excess
The amount of acid required to be taken away to reduce the system back to baseline
Actual base excess is what? Why is this valuable and why is this different to measuring bicarbonate only?
◦ Actual base excess - (cBase(B)c.) Represents the metabolic contribution to the change in base excess - eliminiating pH, CO2 and temperature values as unadjusted values would suffer from the same failings as using bicarbonate concentration as you don’t know whether it is a respiratory acid base disturbance or purely metabolic.
What equation calculates base excess
Van Slkye
Flaws in actual base excess (3)
‣ Does factor in plasma-erythrocyte buffering (not however its role in the ECF)
‣ Encounters problems with the way CO2 equlibrates across ECF therefore with derangements in PCO2 it becomes more inaccurate;
- additionally the contribution of phosphate and albumin are not accounted for in the Van Slyke equation –> standard base excess factors this in better
WHy is base excess used instead of bicarbonate
◦ Standard base excess accounts for non bicarbonate buffering
◦ Elevated anion gap should be accompanied by an equal decrease in SBE
‣ If raised anion gap BUT normal SBE then metabolic alkalosis present pre-existing with new HAGMA
‣ If SBE has changed more than anion gap then non anion gap acidosis present
Severity of metabolic changes is classified by
- The candidate is asked to stratify the severity of the acid-base disturbance according to the magnitude of the SBE derangement. The specific numbers are 4, 10 and 14 (or -4, -10 and -14) corresponding to mild, moderate and severe categories
Anion gap calculation and normal limits
- Na - Cl - HCO3
- Normal: 12 +/- 2 (10-14)
Why does albumin matter to anion gap
- Low albumin falsely elevates the anion gap by 2.5 for every 10 albumin below 40
◦ i.e. for every 4g/L of albumin below 40 drop the normal limits of anion gap by 1
◦ So for albumin of 20 the anion gap is 7
Therefore in absence of albumin anion gap is 2
Do you correct Na for glucose in calculations of anion gap
No
NAGMA causes
◦ Exogenous
‣ Normal saline infusion
‣ Exogenous acid - TPN, calcium chloride
◦ GIT
‣ Bicarbonate loss from diarrhoea or high output fistulas
‣ pancreatic/biliary drainage
‣ Ureteroileostomy or ureterosigmoidoscopy
◦ Renal
‣ Renal insufficiency
‣ RTA1 (distal)
‣ Carbonic anhydrase inhibition
‣ Aldosterone antagonists or Addisons
◦ Resp - chronic hypoventilation
NAGMA assessment to differentiate renal causes from non renal?
◦ Urinary anion gap = Na + K - Cl
◦ Positive gap = renal causes of NAGMA e.g. RTA
‣ Renal acidification defect
◦ Normal or negative urinary anion gap = GIT cause of NAGMA
‣ The approprioate acidification of the urine is occuring
HAGMA causes
◦ G - glycols - ethylene or propylene
◦ O - Oxoproline –> acetamenophin metabolite
◦ L - L lactate
◦ D - D lactate - PCM, short gut, lorazepam and phenobarbitol solutions
◦ I - iron overdose
◦ M - Methanol and other toxic alcohols
◦ A - aspirin and ASAs
◦ R - renal failure and uraemia
◦ K - ketoacidosis - starvation, ETOH, DKA
Differentiating HAGMA causes
Osmolar gap - measured minus calculted. -4 to +10 normal. Elevations suggest unmeasured toxic alcohols but also all the other contributors to HAGMA can raise it; or hyperproteinaemia/hyperlipidaemia
What is the delta gap and how to calculate it?
- Compares the change in anion gap to the change in HCO3 to assess for simultaneous disorders; it should be a 1:1 relationship
- CHange in AG / change in HCO3 = AG -12 / 24 - HCO3
What values for delta gap mean what
◦ <0.4 = NAGMA ONLY - none of bicarbonate change explained by anion gap change
◦ 0.4 - 0.8 = NAGMA and HAGMA
◦ 0.8-1.0 = purely due to a high anion gap metabolic acidosis*
◦ 1.0-2.0 = still purely a high anion gap metabolic acidosis
◦ >2 = HAGMA w/ metabolic alkalosis OR co-existing chronic respiratory acidosis causing raised HCO3
What assumptions does the delta gap make?
◦ Bicarbonate contributes all the buffering of metabolic acid base disturbances (its actually 75%)
◦ All buffering occurs in extracellular fluid - incorrect as the intracellular compartment is important in buffering e.g. lactate being processed intracellularly in the liver. 60% of total buffering in acidosis occurs by intracellular protein and phosphate, and 30% in metabolic alkalosis
◦ Acid anions have the same distribution space and clearance mechansismsas H+ –> incorrect e.g. lactate cleared in the liver (slower) –> delta ratio of 1.6 for lactate HAGMA not uncommon
How long does metabolic compensation take?
- In general maximum metabolic compensation will take 2-3 days
What is the maximum and minimum possible bicarbon
+12 to 15
-20
What is the maximum and minimum possible CO2 for compensation
10mmHg to 60-80mmHg
Boston rules
Boston rules the “1-4-2-5” and “1.5+8 or 0.7 + 20” rules, using the actual bicarbonate value.
Expected HCO3 for changes in CO2 (i.e. metabolic compensation rules)
Respiratory acidosis (primary)
* Acute change in HCO3 -> For every 10 mmHg increase in PaCO2, the HCO3- will rise by 1 mmol/L
◦ 1:10
* Chronic change in HCO3 –> For every 10 mmHg increase in PaCO2, the HCO3- will rise by 4 mmol/L
◦ 3-4 : 10
Respiratory alkalosis:
* Acute change in HCO3 - reduced 2 for every 10 change
◦ For every 10 mmHg decrease in PaCO2, the HCO3- will fall by 2 mmol/L
* Chronic change is 5 for every 10
◦ For every 10 mmHg decrease in PaCO2, the HCO3- will fall by 5 mmol/L
Cheat rule instead of winters formula for metabolic acidosis calculations
- QUICK GENERAL RULE - PaCO2 should be the last 2 digits of the pH if pH 7.1 - 7.6
Metabolic acidosis predicted CO2
◦ Expected CO2 = (1.5 x HCO3) + 8 (+/- 2) - Winters formula
◦ 1 meq/L HCO3 increase —> PaCO2 increase by 0.6mmHg
Expected PaCO2 for metabolic alkalosis
- Expected PaCO2 = (0.9 x HCO3) + 9
- Boston rule = PaCO2 = (0.7 x HCO3 ) + 20
Copenhagen rules
- Acute change in PCO2 will not change the SBE
◦ The standard bicarbonate and base excess values use a normalised CO2 value - Expected change chronically in SBE to a rise in CO2 is 0.4x the change in PaCO2
- Metabolic acidosis
◦ expected CO2 = 40 + (1x SBE) - Metabolic alkalosis
◦ Compensatory change in CO2 will be proportional to 0.6x the SBE
Normal PaO2
75 - 100
aA ratio is what
PaO2 / PAO2 –> i.e. arterial vs expected alveolar
Normal >75%