NAME ______________________
10 points
A 23- year old male has been admitted for vomiting over the last 2
days, with minimal fluid intake. He went to the emergency room of
a nearby hospital and the following data was obtained upon
examination and testing.
Hematology:
Hematocrit: 60%
plasma pH: 7.49 (normal is 7.35 to 7.45)
pCO2: 47 mmHg (normal is 35 to 45 mmHg)
HCO3-: 31 (normal is 22 to 26 mEq/L)
Urinalysis
Appearance: dark yellow to brown
Specific gravity: 1.025 (normal is 1.015 to 1.030)
Blood: negative
Protein: mild
pH 8.5
Questions:
1. Define acidosis and alkalosis. In general terms how can a
patient develop an acidosis, an alkalosis? (1 point)
2. What is the acid-base disorder this individual is suffering from;
explain your answer using the hematological data? (3 points)
3. Has compensation occurred? If so, is it partial or complete,
explain your answer? (3 points)
4. Why does the patients have an alkaline urine? (1 point)
5. Explain why the patients hematocrit is high (1 point)
6. If this was a prolonged acid-base disorder, explain why the
patient would also be suffering from hypokalemia (1 point)