Related Experiment Videos
The reliability of calculated bicarbonate in clinical practice
1Children's Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02114.
Clinical Pediatrics
|May 1, 1988
Summary
The apparent first dissociation constant for carbon dioxide (pK'1) in serum is functionally fixed in clinical practice. This study confirms that current methods for calculating plasma bicarbonate are acceptable for acutely ill patients.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Chemistry
- Biochemical Analysis
- Medical Diagnostics
Background:
- Clinical laboratories use the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation to determine plasma bicarbonate.
- This calculation relies on the assumption of a constant pK'1 (apparent first dissociation constant for carbon dioxide).
- Recent questions have arisen regarding the invariability of pK'1 in clinical settings.