Question

If my patient has copd what would cause a low pH and s02 level and a high hco3 and pco2 related to the arterial blood gas lab?

(need an explantion of how the test relates to my patient)

Answer 1

QUESTION:

SOLUTION:

PCO2 reflects the amount of carbon dioxide gas dissolved in the blood.

PO2 reflects the amount of oxygen gas dissolved in the blood.

Increased pco2, lowered ph,increased Hco3 and decreased po2 stands for the acidosis, and in this COPD patient, the ABG report clearly shows the respiratory acidosis; which is usually a secondary complication of COPD.

COPD

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a mixture of three separate disease processes that together form the complete pathological picture, they are chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. Progression of COPD is characterized by the accumulation of inflammatory mucous exudates in the lumens of small airways and the thickening of their walls. Long term exposure to things that irritate your lungs is the most common cause.

As COPD advances these patients cannot maintain a normal respiratory exchange. These patients have a reduced ability to exhale the carbon dioxide adequately which leads to hypercapnia. Chronic elevation of carbon dioxide over time leads to acid-base disorders and a shift of normal respiratory drive to hypoxic drive. This in turn leads to RESPIRATORY ACIDOSIS.

The lungs and the kidney are the key organs responsible for keeping our body's pH in balance. In chronic respiratory acidosis in COPD patients, the body tries to compensate by retaining more bicarbonate to overcome acidosis. The renal compensation sets in and the kidneys adapt to excrete carbon dioxide in the form of carbonic acid and reabsorb more bicarbonate. It usually takes about 3 to 5 days for the maximum response. This helps in maintaining acid-base balance near normal and prevents the pH to become dangerously low.