ACID-BASE

BALANCE
 ACID-BASE BALANCE
▪ AN IMPORTANT PART OF REGULATING THE HOMEOSTASIS OF BODY FLUIDS IS REGULATING
THEIR ACIDITY AND ALKALINITY.
▪ ACID – SUBSTANCE THAT RELEASES HYDROGEN IONS IN SOLUTION.
▪ BASES – ALSO KNOWN AS ALKALIS, HAVE A LOW HYDROGEN ION CONCENTRATION AND CAN
ACCEPT HYDROGEN IONS IN SOLUTION.
▪ pH – MEASUREMENT OF RELATIVE ACIDITY OR ALKALINITY OF A SOLUTION WHICH IS AN INVERSE
REFLECTION OF THE HYDROGEN ION CONCENTRATION OF THE SOLUTION.
▪ “THE HIGHER THE HYDROGEN CONCENTRATION, THE LOWER THE pH; THE LOWER THE
HYDROGEN ION CONCENTRATION, THE HIGHER THE pH.”
▪ WATER HAS A pH OF 7 AND IS NEUTRAL. SOLUTIONS WITH A pH LOWER THAN 7 ARE ACIDIC
WHILE THOSE HIGHER THAN 7 ARE ALKALINE.
▪ pH SCALE – LOGARITHMIC; A SOLUTION WITH A pH OF 5 IS 10X MORE ACIDIC THAN ONE WITH pH
OF 6.
REGULATION
OF ACID-BASE
BALANCE
REGULATION OF ACID-BASE BALANCE
pH
6.8 7.35 7.45 7.8

DEATH ACIDOSIS NORMAL ALKALOSIS DEATH

pH SCALE
1 7 14
ACIDIC NEUTRAL ALKALINE
SOLUTION SOLUTION
(HIGH H+) (LOW H+)
 BUFFERS
▪ IT PREVENT EXCESSIVE CHANGES IN pH BY BINDING WITH OR
RELEASING HYDROGEN IONS.
▪ THE ACTION OF A BUFFER IN ECF IS IMMEDIATE, BUT LIMITED IN ITS
CAPACITY TO MAINTAIN OR RESTORE NORMAL ACID-BASE BALANCE.
▪ THE MAJOR BUFFER IN ECF IS THE BICARBONATE AND CARBONIC
ACID SYSTEM.
▪ ACIDOSIS – CONDITION WHERE THE CLIENT’S pH DROPS BELOW
NORMAL RANGE OF 7.35 TO 7.45.
▪ ALKALOSIS – CONDITION WHERE THE CLIENT’S pH RISES MORE THAN
THE NORMAL RANGE.
 RESPIRATORY REGULATION
▪CARBON DIOXIDE – A POWERFUL
STIMULATOR OF THE RESPIRATORY
CENTER IN THE BRAIN.
▪CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS IN THE
BLOOD ARE MEASURED AS PCO2.
▪NORMAL PaCO2 IS 35 TO 45 mmHg.
RESPIRATORY REGULATION
 RENAL REGULATION
KIDNEYS
▪ ULTIMATE LONG-TERM REGULATOR OF ACID-BASE BALANCE.
▪ SLOWER TO RESPOND TO CHANGES, REQUIRING HOURS TO
DAY TO CORRECT IMBALANCES, BUT THEIR RESPONSE IS
MORE PERMANENT AND SELECTIVE THAN THAT OF THE OTHER
SYSTEMS.
▪ MAINTAIN ACID-BASE BALANCE BY SELECTIVELY EXCRETING
OR CONSERVING BICARBONATE AND HYDROGEN IONS.
▪ THE NORMAL SERUM BICARBONATE LEVEL IS 22 TO 2E
FACTORS
AFFECTING BODY
FLUID,
ELECTROLYTES, &
ACID-BASE
BALANCE
 FACTORS AFFECTING BODY FLUID,
ELECTROLYTES, & ACID-BASE BALANCE

ENVIRONMENTAL
AGE TEMPERATURE

SEX AND BODY SIZE LIFESTYLE