Practical approach to acid-base disorders

Acid-base balance is a general term for the way in which the body maintains a relatively constant pH despite continuous production of metabolic end products and is fundamental to physiologic homeostasis. Disease states of animals lead to irregularities of body fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base balance. With the advent of less expensive, accurate, as well as portable blood gas and electrolyte analyzers, acid-base assessment has become a standard of care in veterinary medicine. It is important that the veterinary practitioner understand acid-base pathophysiology to assure successful treatment of these disease states. The purpose of this article is to provide a simple and concise description of traditional and modern acid-base data interpretation and assist the practitioner with application of these methods.