Acid-base equilibrium: The best clinical approach

Acid-base balance disorders can be found in a primary or secondary form in patients with a disease process such as Diabetes Mellitus or acute renal failure, among others. The objective of this article is to explain and guide the correlation ship between the clinical findings in the patient and the parameters of arterial blood gases in a simple and precise manner, in order to make the correct acid-base balance diagnosis and adequate therapeutic interventions. A non-systematic review of the scientific literature was conducted through a search in the PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and OvidSP databases. The conclusion was that base excess or deficit in arterial blood gases is a useful tool which along with the clinical history, pH, and partial pressure of CO2, provides an accurate estimate of the metabolic component of the acid-base balance.