Week 2- Acid-Base and Potassium Flashcards
(99 cards)
What are sources of hydrogen ion in the body? What is volatile vs. non-volatile acid and which organ deals with which one?
Sources of acid
- cellular metabolism (fat, carbs, protein)
- diet
CO2 is a volatile acid produced mainly by fat and carb metabolism and it is blown off in the lung
Phosphates, sulfates are non-volatile and produced mostly from protein metabolism, and these are excreted by the kidney.
How is pH regulated (generally)?
- with buffers (immediate)
- breathing CO2 out (minutes to hours)
- Excretion of acid or alkaline urine (hours to days)
What is the Henderson Equation? What does it signify?
- the pH of the blood is decreased with either an increase in PaCO2 or a drop in bicarbonate
What are the the buffering systems of the body? Is the cell more or less acidic than the ECF?
**Intracellular:
- bicarbonate
- proteins
- phosphate
**Bone (H+ dissolves bone to release buffer)
Extracellular
- bicarbonate
- inorganic acids
**used chronically, not day to day. Extracellular is used in normal circumstances**
What are the determinants of PaCO2 and what is the relationship between them?
How do the lungs respond to low pH?
By the Henderson equation, the PaCO2 increases as pH decreases. This is sensed in the brain, then alveolar ventilation and depth is increased, leading to a decrease in PaCO2.
Contrast respiratory and metabolic acidosis
Respiratory acidosis results from an inability to blow off CO2, and so is defined by an increased PCO2
Metabolic acidosis results from the inability to eliminate acid (or too much production), and so is defined by a decreased HCO3
How to calculate the anion gap, what is it normally and what does it tell you?
AG = Na+ – (Cl– + HCO3–)
Normal is is 12 +/- 2 because of unmeasured anions in the blood (esp. albumin, phosphate)
It helps you identify the cause of metabolic acidosis. Elevated AG indicates the presence of acids (e.g. lactic, keto…) normal AG with acidosis indicates a loss of HCO3- by some means, bu likely compensated by Cl-
What are some causes of anion gap acidosis?
KULT
- K= ketones (diabetic, alcoholic, starvation)
- U= uremia (renal failure)
- L= lactate (sepsis)
- T= toxins (toxic alcohols, aspirin)
**more complicated acronym available on wikipedia**
What is the osmolar gap? What does a gap mean?
The difference between the calculated osmolality of the blood (POsm= 2*[Na] +[urea] + [glucose]) and the measured osmolality in the lab.
If there is a significant difference between the two, there is a large amount of some extra osmole in the blood.
e.g.MADGAS
Mannitol
Alcohols (methanol, ethylene glycol, isopropanol, propylene)
Diatrizoate (contrast agent)
Acetone
Sorbitol
What is polycystic kidney disease?
An autosomal dominant (ADPKD) or, more rarely, recessive (ARPKD) form of kidney disease where multiple cysts form in the kidney. ADPKD presents in adulthood.
What is hydronephrosis?
Swelling of the kidney due to urine obstruction (e.g. benign prostate hypertrophy, stones)
Is H+ filtered as a free ion? Is HCO3- filtered as a free ion?
NO, YES
What does the kidney do to maintain acid/base balance?
- Secretes H+ (uses titratable acids and NH4+ to get rid of excess acid)
- Reabsorbs HCO3-
- Creates new HCO3-
Where is H+ secreted and what can it do ?
H+ is secreted in the proximal tubule and it either combines with bicarbonate, and then through CA on the brush border, makes CO2 and H20, which is then reabsorbed.
OR it combines with a titratable acid or ammonium.
How and where is bicarb reabsorbed? How does the process differ between the PCT and the CT?
The proximal tubule (80%) and the collecting tubule.
H+ is pumped in the lumen, combines with HCO3-, is converted to CO2 and H20 by luminal CA, CO2 diffuses into the cell and is reconverted to bicarb, which is pumped out the baseloateral side. It’s one big cycle.
In the PCT H+ is exchanged for sodium at the apical side, and in the CT it is a H+ ATPase that pumps it through. Also, bicarb is exchanged for different ions on the basolateral side.
How is new bicarb created?
When H+ is excreted and combines with a titratable acid, one bicarb is created.
When glutamine is broken down into ammonium and alpha-ketoglutarate, one bicarb is created and pumped into the blood.
Where is ammonium formed?
In the proximal tubule, from the breakdown of glutamine. It is pumped into the lumen with the Na/H exchanger
What are the 3 steps in NH4+ excretion?
- Formation (PCT)
- Reabsorption/recycling of NH4+ (TAL-LOH) (via the K position on NKCC)
- Ammonium trapping (collecting duct) (acts as a buffer for secreted H+)
What can NH3 in the tubules do ?
Diffuse into the blood, go to the liver adn be made into urea. This uses up 2 bicarbs, so it is counter productive
What is renal tubular acidosis? Type 1,2,4?
Renal tubular acidosis is acidosis resulting from the impairment of the kidney’s usual acid/base functions.
Type 2: PCT can’t absorb bicarb well
Type 1: DT can’t excrete H+ well, so less acid excretion with NH4+
Type 4: aldosterone deficiency/resistance (impaired secretion of H+ and K+)
What is the formula for net acid excretion?
NAE= NH4+ + titratable acids- bicarb in urine
Which part(s) of the kidney’s acid/base function is modifiable?
The production of NH4+ is the major modifiable function. Titratable acids are diet dependent.
How is potassium content managed? How is potassium concentration managed?
Content is managed by the kidneys (ingested potassium= excreted potassium)
Concentration is managed by shift potassium intracellularly (insulin, epinephrine, aldosterone)



