Acid-Base-Wall Flashcards
What is an Acid?
What is a Base?
Acid: a substance that can donate hydrogen ions
Base: a substance that can accept hydrogen ions
What are the two types of acids in the body?
- Carbonic/volatile
2. Non-carbonic/nonvolatile
What is an example of a carbonic/volatile acid? How much is produced each day? How is it eliminated from the body?
Carbon dioxide; 15,000mmol/day; eliminated by the lungs
What are some examples of non-carbonic/nonvolatile acids? How much are produced each day? How are they eliminated?
Phosphoric and Sulfuric acids (any acid that cant be converted to CO2 and eliminated by the lungs); 50-100 meq/day; they combine with buffers and are subsequently excreted by the kidney
What are the extremes of pH compatible with life?
ph between 7.80 and 6.80 (outside of this range patients die because enzymes are pH-dependent)
How do labs measure total CO2 concentration in venous samples?
Dissolved CO2 plus bicarbonate concentration, ~25-26 meq/L
What is normal dissolved CO2? Plasma Bicarbonate concentration?
CO2- 1 to 1.5 meq/L; HCO3- ~24 meq/L
What is acidemia?
What is alkalemia?
Reduced pH (elevated H+ concentration); Increased pH (reduced H+ concentration)
What is acidosis?
What is alkalosis?
Acidosis→process that lowers pH
Alkalosis→process that increases pH
What is the major extracellular buffer? It’s equation?
Bicarbonate Buffer System:
CO2+H2O←H2CO3→H+ +HCO3-
In a closed system, what is the pKa of the bicarbonate system? Why is this not the case in the body? Is this effective?
closed system pKa=6.1; But, we are an open system via the lungs excreting CO2, making this system a highly efficient buffer even though our normal pH is 7.40
What equation demonstrates the determinants of pH? (at normal pH what do H+ and HCO3- equal to?)
[H+]=24 x (pCO2/[HCO3-])
Therefore, at pH=7.4→[H+]=40nEq/L
(Normal [HCO3-]=24)
What is another way to estimate H+ concentration?
[H+]= 80 minus first two decimal digits of pH
i.e. at pH=7.40: [H+]=80-40= 40
What happens to pH when H+ concentration is doubled to 80? What about when it’s halfed to 20?
pH decreases by 0.3, so that pH=7.1;
pH increases to 7.7
What are the normal values of pH, pCO2, and [HCO3-]
pH=7.4
pCO2=40mmHg
HCO3-=24meq/L
What are metabolic disorders?
Processes that directly alter bicarbonate concentration
What happens in metabolic acidosis?
Metabolic alkalosis?
MetAcidosis: decreased bicarbonate
MetAlkalosis: increased bicarbonate
What are respiratory disorders?
Processes that directly alter CO2
What happens in respiratory acidosis?
Respiratory alkalosis?
RespAcidosis: increased CO2
RespAlkalosis: decreased CO2
What is the buffer effect with respiratory disorders?
Slightly increased HCO3 with respiratory acidosis; Slightly decreased HCO3 with respiratory alkalosis
What do buffers do?
They prevent wide changes in pH in response to the addition of acid or base.
What is the major extracellular buffer? How is intracellular pH maintained?
Bicarbonate; there are other intracellular buffers
How quickly does bicarbonate buffer respond to addition of acid or base?
immediate onset
What is the isohydric principle?
Any condition that changes the balance of one buffer (shifts the direction of its equation) will change/shift the balance of all the other buffers in the same direction
What is the purpose of acid-base balance?
Maintain normal pH by buffer systems
What are the major buffers and their 1) H+ acceptor and 2) H+ donor in:
a. ECF b. Urine (2) c. Intracellular?
a. ECF: Bicarbonate: 1. HCO3- 2. H2CO3
b. Urine: Phosphate:1.(H2PO4)2-;2.H2PO4; Ammonia: 1.NH3 2. NH4+
c. Proteins: 1. Protein 2. Protein
What is the purpose of phosphate and ammonia buffers in the urine?
To eliminate non-volatile acids
In addition to buffering mechanisms, what else happens in response to changes in pH?
Secondary (Compensatory) physiologic responses also occur in response to pH changes
What compensates for metabolic disorders? Organ? Speed of onset?
The respiratory system compensates by altering CO2 via the lungs; rapid onset, minutes
What compensates for respiratory disorders? Organ? Speed of onset?
Buffer compensation occurs by alterations in bicarbonate concentration via the kidney; slower onset, 1-2 days