70 year old man presented with reduced level of consciousness.
His venous blood gas showed the following:
PH = 7.31
PO2 = 62 mmHg (on 6L O2)
Category Archives: Lab Cases
Lab case 428 interpretation
Answers:
PH = 7.479, that is mild acidaemia.
HCO3 = 30 mmol/L (that is high). So, we have metabolic alkalosis.
Next we check the respiratory compensation for metabolic alkalosis. For That we use the following equation: Expected pCO2 = 0.7 x HCO3 + 20 (+/- 5).
Lab case 428
28 days old boy brought by his parents for multiple vomiting episodes. His venous gases showed the following:
PH = 7.479
pCO2 = 41 mmHg
pO2 = 34 mmHg
Lab case 427 interpretation
Question 1 answer
PH = 7.236, that is moderate acidaemia
HCO3 = 12.5 mmol/L. So we have metabolic acidosis.
Next we need to calculate the compensation and the the anion gap.
Lab case 427
21 year old man presented to ED with fatigue and weakness. His blood gases showed the following:
PH = 7.236
PCO2 = 30 mmol/L
Lab case 426 interpretation
Answers:
PH = 7.415, this is within normal range. slightly more to the alkelaemic side.
pCO2 = 34 mmHg, that is slightly low, this patient is hyperventilating. (Normal pCO2 is 40 mmHg on arterial blood and 48 mmHg on venous blood).
Lab case 426
60-year-old women presented to the emergency department compla ining of headache and fatigue. Her venous blood gases showed the following:
PH = 7.415
pCO2 = 34 mmHg
Lab case 425 interpretation
Question 1:
PH = 7.51, that is mild alkalaemia
PCO2 = 28, that is less than 40. So we have respiratory alkalosis.
Compensation for acute respiratory alkalosis: HCO3 drops by 2 mmol/L for every 10 mmHg decrease in pCO2 from 40mmHg. Accordingly, HCO3 should drop by (12 x 0.2) = 2.4, SO expected HCO3 is 21.6 (that is close to 23) so we have pure respiratory alkalosis.
Lab case 424 interepretation
Answers:
Hb = 115 g/L, that is mild anaemia. (Remember, anaemia happens when blood cells don’t have enough haemoglobin or there is not enough red blood cells).
RCC (red cells count) = 4.3, that is just within the normal range for men, towards the low side.
Lab case 424
19 year-old-man recently returned from Sudan presented with fever.
His Bloods showed the following:
Hb = 115 g/L
RCC = 4.30