A -year-old man is brought to the emergency department by paramedics after being found obtunded in his home. His roommate reports finding empty bottles of unknown medications nearby. His temperature is (), blood pressure is mm Hg, pulse is /min, and respiratory rate is /min and shallow. Pulse oximetry shows on room air. Laboratory results are as follows:
| Laboratory Test | Result |
|---|---|
| Serum sodium | mEq/L |
| Serum potassium | mEq/L |
| Serum chloride | mEq/L |
| Serum bicarbonate | mEq/L |
| Blood urea nitrogen | mg/dL |
| Serum creatinine | mg/dL |
Arterial blood gas analysis on room air reveals a of , of mm Hg, and of mm Hg.
Which of the following best describes this patient's acid-base status?
- Mixed high anion gap metabolic acidosis and respiratory acidosisCevap
- BMixed high anion gap metabolic acidosis and respiratory alkalosis
- CMixed normal anion gap metabolic acidosis and respiratory acidosis
- DPrimary metabolic acidosis with appropriate respiratory compensation
- EPrimary respiratory acidosis with appropriate metabolic compensation
Cevap
Mixed high anion gap metabolic acidosis and respiratory acidosis
The patient's laboratory values reveal a mixed acid-base disorder consisting of a high anion gap metabolic acidosis and a concurrent respiratory acidosis. The first step in evaluating this disorder is identifying the primary disturbance. The severe acidemia ( of ) combined with a low serum bicarbonate ( mEq/L) strongly indicates a primary metabolic acidosis. Next, the anion gap is calculated as mEq/L. Since a normal anion gap is mEq/L, a high anion gap metabolic acidosis is present. Finally, expected respiratory compensation must be evaluated using Winter's formula: expected . For this patient, the expected is mm Hg. The patient's actual is mm Hg, which is significantly higher than the expected range ( mm Hg). This indicates an inadequate respiratory response and a superimposed primary respiratory acidosis, which aligns with the patient's obtunded state and hypoventilation (respiratory rate of /min) secondary to a suspected toxic ingestion.
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Anahtar Kavram
In patients with a primary metabolic acidosis, actual must be compared to expected (calculated via Winter's formula) to identify concomitant respiratory acid-base disorders.