Acid base medical conditions
Dominique Naudy
Kaplan University

Respiratory acidosis is a medical condition that occurs when the lungs cannot get rid of all the carbon dioxide that is produced by the body. When there is too much carbon dioxide in the human body it causes the blood to become too acidic. There are two types of respiratory acidosis. They are chronic respiratory acidosis, and acute respiratory acidosis. Chronic happens over a long period of time, “This leads to a stable situation, because the kidneys increase body chemicals, such as bicarbonate, that help restore the body's acid-base balance.” (Dugdale, 2012 para 2) Acute respiratory acidosis occurs when the carbon dioxide accumulates in the body extremely fast, and the kidneys cannot balance the body. For a diagnosis of clinical acidosis there has to be low arterial pH (<7.36. As well as pCO2 and an increase in the plasma [HCO3-]. The normal range for pH is between 7.35-7.45, normal range for PCO2 is between 36-44 and normal range for HCO3- 22-26. When a person has respiratory acidosis the pH decreases, the PCO2 increases and HCO3 increases. (University of Iowa, 2015)
Compensatory mechanism is the way the body reacts to maintain homeostasis. The body uses its own mechanisms to counteract an acid base disorder. When a patient has a chronic respiratory disorder the “kidneys can compensate for chronic respiratory disorders by either holding on to or dumping bicarbonate.” (UCSF, 2003 para 1). When a patient has chronic respiratory acidosis the kidneys hold on to bicarbonate. When a patient has respiratory acidosis the levels of PCO2 are elevated. This happens because there is a reduction in alveolar ventilation. The body responds to the increase in H+ and the reduction of pH by increasing the plasma [HCO3-] so that the levels of plasma match the increase in PCO2. This maintains the ration