Acid Base Balance 2 Flashcards
What can an acid or base load do if renal or respiratory function is abnormal?
Overwhelm the body and a change in pH occurs
What is a decrease in pH called?
Acidosis
What is an increase in pH called?
Alkalosis
What do respiratory disorders affect that leads to a change in pH?
PCO2
What do renal disorders affect that leads to a change in pH?
[bicarbonate]
What is respiratory acidosis?
pH fallen due to respiratory change, so PCO2 must have increased:
- Results from reduced ventilation and therefore retention of CO2
What are some causes of respiratory acidosis?
- Acute
- Drugs which depress the medullary respiratory centres, such as barbiturates and opiates
- Obstruction of major airways
- Chronic
- Lung disease such as bronchitis, emphysema, asthma
What is the bodies response to respiratory acidosis?
The response is need to protect pH so need to increase [HCO3-]:
- Increase in PCO2 will increase secretion of H and HCO3-
- Acid conditions stimulate renal glutaminase to get more NH3 produced, but it takes time
- So there is generation of new HCO3- as well as increased reabsorption, because having generated more HCO3- the increase in PCO2 will also increase the ability to reabsorb it
The bodies response to respiratory acidosis is to increase [bicarbonate] which will protect the pH. However, what does this not correct?
The original disturbance that caused the increase in PCO2 that causes respiratory acidosis
In respiratory acidosis, what will correct the primary disturbance?
Restoration of normal ventilation
When patients have lung diseases the pH can be protected by the kidneys maintaining high [bicarbonate]. When do problems arise?
When patients with lung disease develop renal dysfunction
What is respiratory alkalosis due to?
Due to fall in PCO2 and can only occur through increased ventilation and CO2 blow-off
What are some causes of respiratory alkalosis?
- Acute
- Voluntary hyperventilation
- Aspirin
- First ascent to altitude
- Chronic
- Long term residence at altitude
- Decreased PO2 to <60mmHg (8kPa) stimulates chemoreceptors to increase ventilation
What does the body do to protect pH during respiratory alkalosis?
[HCO3-] should decrease
What mechanism deals with alkaline conditions in the body?
Bicarbonate absorptive mechanism
What is required to fix the original disturbance that causes respiratory alkalosis?
Restoration of normal veniltation
How does an increase in PCO2 impact H secretion and bicarbonate reabsorption?
Increased H secretion
Increased bicarbonate reabsorption
How does a decrease in PCO2 impact H secretion and bicarbonate reabsorption?
Decreased H secretion
Decreased bicarbonate reabsorption, more lost in urine
What is metabolic acidosis due to?
Decrease in [bicarbonate]
A decrease in [bicarbonate] causes respiratory acidosis. What can this be due to?
Increasing buffering of H or direct loss of bicarbonate
What does the body do to protect pH during metabolic acidosis?
PCO2 must be decreased
What are some causes of metabolic acidosis?
- Increased H production, as in ketoacidosis of a diabetic or in lactic acidosis
- Failure to excrete the normal dietary load of H as in renal failure
- Loss of HCO3- as in diarrhoea
- Ie failure to reabsorb HCO3-
How does the body decrease PCO2 to maintain pH during metabolic acidosis?
- Increase in ventilation is in depth rather than rate, reaching a maximum of 30L/min compared to normal 5-6L/min when arterial pH falls to 7
What is the maximum degree of hyperventilating to try and maintain the pH during metabolic acidosis known as?
Kussmaul breathing