scholarly journals Water and electrolyte metabolic error: Advances on diagnosis and treatment. Abnormality of acid-base equilibrium. Basic knowledge of acid-base equilibrium and reading of the arterial blood gas analysis.

1997 ◽  
Vol 86 (10) ◽  
pp. 1868-1872
Author(s):  
YASUSHI ASANO
Author(s):  
Michael J Peake ◽  
Graham H White

As part of arterial blood gas analysis, base excess is often reported as a measure of non-respiratory acid-base disturbance. Most blood gas analysers offer the option of calculating either the base excess of the blood sample or the base excess of the extracellular fluid (ECF). We report a case that illustrates that selecting the physiologically appropriate parameter avoids the potential for misinterpretation of acid-base data. We recommend that the base excess of the ECF is the appropriate metabolic blood gas parameter for clinical use.


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