Acid Base Balance Case Study

To start out this study the difference between acids and bases has to be identified. Acids have very low pHs and have a high concentration of hydronium ions, while bases have a high pH and have a high concentration of hydroxide ions. The difference between strong bases and acids, and weak bases and acids is the amount of dissociation. Strong bases and acids dissociate a large amount and let go of their ions in solution, while weak bases and acids may only let go of some of their ions. This is important because if the unknown solutions aren’t strong acids or bases then using their ions to calculate the pH of the solutions will give false results (Diffen 2012).

The blood pH value changes as PCO2 changes because CO2 dissolves in the blood forming carbonic acidic and lowering the pH value.

The data have supported the hypothesis because it showed the results in the data. When the PCO2 is 40, the blood pH is 7.38 which it is normal that lead to have normal H+ in urine and HCO3- in urine. The PCO2 get lower to 30, the blood pH is 7.58 which it is high that lead to decreased in H+ in urine and elevated in HCO3- in urine. The PCO2 get higher to 60, the blood pH is 7.28 which it is low that lead to elevated in H+ in urine and decreased in HCO3- in urine. Respiratory alkalosis is when the PCO2 is lowered that cause a person to have hyperventilation that it is over breathing. It can happen if someone have panic attack, anxiety, or stress. The treatments are breathing exercise, practice relaxation, and exercise regularly to raise the carbon dioxide levels. Respiratory acidosis is when the PCO2 is raised that cause a person to have hypoventilation that is slow breathing. It can happen if someone have daytime drowsiness, fatigue, morning headaces,and bluish color on the skin. The treatments are losing weight, supplemental oxygen, and continuous positive airway pressure to decrease the carbon dioxide

Assuming that enough time has passed for the renal system to fully compensate for respiratory alkalosis, would you expect PCO2 levels to increase or decrease? Would you expect blood pH levels to increase or decrease? The Pco2 levels would increase as the HCO3- is excreted through the urine and the renal system pumps H+ back into the blood. This would cause the pH levels to decrease to within homeostasis range.

Acidosis is a condition when the body has too much acid circulating in the body causing the pH of the body to become too acidic (Wisse, 2013). This will then cause the acid/base balance to tip as the acid is building up and the base is lost. Since pH is measured on a scale of 0 to 10 and “normal” blood pH is kept between 7.35 – 7.45, minute deviations can cause disruptions throughout many different systems of the body (McAuley, 1993). A decrease below the recommended 7.35 means that there are too many hydrogen ions within a patients blood and they cannot be absorbed by the body. PCO2 is the measurement of “partial pressure of carbon dioxide dissolved in arterial blood” and helps us understand how much CO2-gas is floating in the blood

High pH is alkalosis, low pH is acidosis.. Next you look at carbon dioxide and bicarbonate. Bicarbonate will go the same way as pH. So if the pH is high then the bicarbonate will be up, if the pH is low then the bicarbonate will be low. Carbon dioxide is the opposite. If the pH is high then the carbon dioxide is low, if the ph is low then the carbon dioxide is high ( Fournier, 2011).

The pH of a solution is the measure of the concentration of charged Hydrogen ions in that given solution. A solution with a pH lower than seven is considered to be acidic. A solution with a higher pH is a base. It is very important for organisms to maintain a stable pH. Biological molecules such as proteins function only at a certain pH level and any changes in pH can result in them not functioning properly. To maintain these constant pH levels, buffer solutions are used. A buffer solution can resist change to small additions of acids or base’s. A good buffer will have components that act like a base, and components that act like an acid.

Normally, arterial PaCO2 increases by 0.5-0.7 mm Hg for every 1 mEq/L increase in plasma bicarbonate concentration, a compensatory response that is very quick. If the change in PaCO2 is not within this range, then a mixed acid-base disturbance occurs. For example, if the increase in PaCO2 is more than 0.7 times the increase in bicarbonate, then metabolic alkalosis coexists with primary respiratory acidosis. Likewise, if the increase in PaCO2 is less than the expected change, then a primary respiratory alkalosis is also present.

means the solution is neutral, 9 - 11 for a weak base, and 12 - 14 for a strong base. There are three theories that are used to define a base and an acid. The first theory is the " The Arrhenius Theory " this theory says an acid produces hydrogen ions, H+ in water solution and a base produces hydroxide ions, OH− in water solution. The second theory is " The Bronsted - Lowry Theory ". This

Acidosis can occur temporarily during exercise as the demand for energy exceeds the supply of available oxygen to complete the oxidation of glucose to CO2. The glucose is converted to the acidic metabolism product lactic acid. As the tissues become starved for oxygen, lactic acid is produced to decrease the pH. This decrease shifts the equilibrium to the left, delivering more O2 to the tissues. Moreover, it stimulates an increase in breathing rate, eliminating CO2 whilst furnishing O2.

Therefore, it is essential that certain buffers, solutions that resist changes in pH, exist in order to maintain stability in most organisms and humans

PH is defined as “the symbol indicating hydrogen ion concentration. PH is also used for a scale of acidity. There are chemical buffers that are used to prevent huge changes in the body. They keep the body in a form of homeostasis by preventing hydrogen ion concentration. By keeping the hydrogen ion concentration constant the pH is then, constant as well. Buffers are also used to ensure the stability of pH in other bodily fluids. Neutral pH is 7. Considering this, if the body starts to get away from the normal pH level, the person will need to take more acidic or base substances. An example of some acidic substances would be lemon juice, sodas, and apple juice. Examples of base substances would be bleach, and ammonia. Base substances would definitely

Metabolic alkalosis is seen by an increase in the concentration of plasma bicarbonate relative to the concentration of carbonic acid, which shifts the pH to the alkaline side of the physiologic range (case study- pH 7.5). The main causes of metabolic alkalosis are loss of gastric juice or

Metabolic acidosis results from all conditions that decrease the pH of the body fluids below 7.35 and HCO3- levels are <22 mEq/L, with the exception of conditions resulting from altered function of the respiratory system. As hydrogen ions accumulate in the body fluids, buffers first resist a decline in pH. If the buffers cannot compensate for the increase in hydrogen ions, the respiratory center helps regulate the body fluid pH. The reduced pH stimulates the respiratory center, which causes hyperventilation. During hyperventilation, carbon dioxide is eliminated at a greater rate. The elimination of carbon dioxide also eliminates excess hydrogen ions and helps maintain the pH of the body fluids within a normal range. (Angus, 2006)

The carbonic acid-bicarbonate buffer is a major extracellular buffer, that operates in both the lungs and kidneys. The lungs acts as a second defense responding quickly by decreasing the amount of carbonic acid by blowing off carbon dioxide and leaving water. The kidneys acts as a third defense talking a little longer to respond (hours to days versus seconds to minutes with the lungs). The kidneys reabsorb bicarbonate or regenerate bicarbonate from carbon dioxide and water. These two systems work very effectively together because the lungs can adjust acid concentration rapidly by ventilation and bicarbonate is easily absorbed or regenerated by kidneys tubules, although more slowly. The way the renal and respiratory systems adjust to primary changes in pH are known as compensation. The respiratory system compensates for changes in pH by increasing or decreasing the concentration of carbon dioxide by changing ventilation. The renal system compensates by producing more acidic or more alkaline urine. The protein buffer system is both extracellular and intracellular,