Acid Base Balance and ABGs Flashcards
What is the normal range for blood pH?
7.37-7.43
What is the normal range for bicarbonate in the blood?
22-26 mmol/L
What is the equation used to express the state of equilibrium maintained between bicarbonate, hydrogen ions, carbonic acid and CO2 and water?
Which direction does the bicarbonate buffering equation shift when additional hydrogen ions are added?
The addition of hydrogen ions drives the reaction to the right, decreasing the plasma bicarbonate concentration [HCO3−] and increasing the arterial carbon dioxide pressure (PaCO2). THis means that bicarbonate must be produced/reabsorbed to buffer this acid challenge
Why does acidaemia stimulate increased respiration?
Due to increased CO2 production due to acid load -> bicarbonate buffer system shifts right -> resp system detects rise in PaCO2 -> increased resp effort
What are the main mechanisms for increasing bicarbonate availibility?
- Bicarbonate regeneration
- Bicarbonate reabsorption
Where does bicarbonate rabsorption take place?
Kidneys
Where is the majority of bicarbonate reabsorbed in the kidney?
Proximal convoluted tubule - 85-90%
Why is the majority of bicarbonate reabsorbed in the proximal convoluted tubule?
Greater quantity of luminal (brush border) carbonic anhydrase in the proximal tubule than in the distal nephron
Draw the process by which bicarbonate is reabsorbed in the proximal convoluted tubule of the kidney
How is bicarbonate reabsorbed into lumenal cells of the proximal convoluted tubule?
Carbonic acid is converted by Carbonic anhydrase to CO2 and H2O - freely moves into luminal cells, where it is converted back to HCO3-
How is bicarbonate converted to carbonic acid in the lumen of the proximal convoluted tubule?
H+ is excreted from luminal cells in exchange for Na+
How does H2CO3 become bicarbonate in the luminal cells to allow it’s bicarbonate portion to enter the blood?
Dissociates with H+
What is proximal tubular bicarbonate reabsorption driven by?
Na+/K+ ATPase pump located in the basolateral luminal cell membrane - By exchanging peritubular potassium ions for intracellular sodium ions, the pump keeps the intracellular sodium concentration low, allowing sodium ions to enter the cell by moving down the sodium concentration gradient from the tubule lumen to the cell interior
What buffer systems are involved in acid secretion?
- Titratable acids such as phosphate
- Ammonia system
How is H+ excreted in the distal convoluted tubule?
Titratable acid system - primarily phosphate excretion
How does the titratable acid buffer system work?
Hydrogen ions bind to the conjugate anions of the titratable acids and are excreted in the urine. For each hydrogen ion excreted in this form, a bicarbonate ion is regenerated within the cell and returned to the blood
What buffer system is the most important under heavy acid load?
Ammonium buffer system - creates the most bicarbonate
Why is the titratable acid system limited in terms of how much it can buffer acid in the blood?
Titratable acids cannot increase significantly because the availability of titratable acid is fixed by the plasma concentration of the buffer and by the GFR.
Draw the ammonium buffer system in the proximal convoluted tubule
Draw the ammonium buffer system in the distal convoluted tubule
In the ammonium buffer system, what is ammonia formed from in the cell?
Glutamine -> Glutamate
What is the name of the enzyme which deaminates glutamine to glutamate in luminal cells to produce NH3?
Renal glutanimase
Write out the henderson-Hasselback equation