EXERCISE 10: Acid-Base Balance

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Student instructions: Follow the step-by-step instructions for this exercise found in your lab manual and record your answers in the spaces below. Submit this completed document by the assignment due date found in the Syllabus. Rename this document to include your first and last name prior to submitting, e.g. Exercise10_JohnSmith.doc. Please make sure that your answers are typed in RED. (You may delete these instructions before submission.)

ACTIVITY 1: Hyperventilation
A substance that dissolves in water to release hydrogen (H+) ions is a(n) _______. Which of the following is not a regulatory mechanism for acid/base balance in the body? a. the kidneys b. the respiratory system c. protein buffers d. the digestive system 1. The maximum pH measured during hyperventilation was _______. 1. The tidal volume (TV) when breathing at rest was about _____ ml. The TV with hyperventilation was about _____ ml. Describe the normal ranges for pH and PCO2 in the blood.

Answers
acid d

7.67

600 ml; 3200 ml

Normal pH: 7.357.45; normal PCO2: 3545 mmHg

Describe what happened to the pH and the carbon dioxide in the blood with hyperventilation.

With hyperventilation, the pH increases and the PCO2 decreases.

Explain how returning to normal breathing after hyperventilation differed from hyperventilation without returning to normal breathing.

When returning to normal breathing after hyperventilation , respirations stopped completely for about 10 seconds in order to help build up the amount of CO2 in the blood.

Describe some possible causes of respiratory alkalosis. Possible causes of respiratory alkalosis: travelling to high altitude (where the O2 level is low) or hyperventilation, which can occur with fever, a panic attack, or anxiety.

ACTIVITY 2: Rebreathing
In cases of acidosis, the pH of the blood is c a. Between 7.4 and 7.55 b. Between 7.35 and 7.45 c. Less than 7.35 d. Greater than 7.55 In this lab simulation, the minimum pH during 7.24 rebreathing was _______. If a person is treated in a hospital emergency rebreathing department by breathing in and out of a paper sack, this is a classic example of _________ to lower the blood pH. 1. Hypoventilation results in c a. lightheadedness. b. numbness around the lips. Answer: _________ c. an accumulation of CO2 in the blood. d. a good treatment for respiratory acidosis. Describe what happened to the pH and the PCO2 levels During rebreathing, the pH decreases in the blood during rebreathing. and the PCO2 increases.

Describe several possible causes of respiratory acidosis.

Possible causes of respiratory acidosis: airway obstruction, depression of the respiratory center in the brain stem, lung disease (such as emphysema or chronic bronchitis), and drug overdose.

Explain how the renal system can compensate for respiratory acidosis.

Acidosis occurs when there is an excess of H+ in the blood stream. To compensate, the kidneys can excrete more of these H+ ions and/or reabsorb more HCO3- ions.

ACTIVITY 3: Renal Responses to Respiratory Acidosis and Respiratory Alkalosis

When carbon dioxide (CO2) mixes with water in the H+ ion and the HCO3- ionhydrogen blood stream, carbonic acid is formed. This carbonic acid and bicarbonate can then dissociate into the _______ ion and the _______ ion.

When more CO2 is produced by the body than can be expired from the lungs, the pH of the blood might a. increase b. stay normal c. decrease d. either stay in the normal range or decrease.

True or False: The renal system is able to fully FALSE compensate for acidosis or alkalosis. Describe what happened to the concentration of ions in When the PCO2 is lowered (alkalosis), the urine when the blood PCO2 was lowered. the [H+] in the urine decreases and the [HCO3-] increases.

What condition was simulated when the blood PCO2 was Respiratory alkalosis lowered? Describe what happened to the concentration of ions in When the PCO2 is raised (acidosis), the the urine when the blood PCO2 was raised. [H+] in the urine increases and the [HCO3-] decreases.

What condition was stimulated when the blood PCO2 was raised?

Respiratory acidosis

ACTIVITY 4: Respiratory Responses to Metabolic Acidosis and Metabolic Alkalosis

The cellular gaseous waste product than can carbon dioxide accumulate in the blood stream is ______ ______. In this lab simulation, when the metabolic rate was c increased to 80 kcal/hour, the pH of the blood lowered to ______ because of an accumulation of _______ [H+] in the blood. a. 7.32; 45 b. 7.30; 42 c. 7.25; 63 d. 7.09; 92 When the metabolism was decreased, the number of decreased breaths/minute _________. 1. True or False: In a hospital, the treatments for FALSE respiratory acidosis and metabolic acidosis are usually the same because these conditions are so similar. 1. Describe what happened to the blood pH when the When the metabolic rate increases, metabolic rate was increased to 80 kcal/hr. What body the PCO2 increased. The [H+]that then system was compensating? resulted increased causing a decrease in pH to 7.25. The [HCO3-] decreased to 14.5. The respiratory system was compensating.

1. List and describe some possible causes of metabolic acidosis, i.e. how the acidosis is caused.

Metabolic acidosis can result from the buildup of keto-acids that can result from poorly treated diabetes mellitus (ketoacidosis); salicylate poisoning (e.g. ingestion of aspirin); ingestion of too much alcohol (metabolizes to acetic acid); diarrhea (an excess of HCO3- is lost); strenuous exercise causing a buildup of lactic acid.

1. Describe what happened to the blood pH when the metabolic rate was decreased to 20 kcal/hr. What body system was compensating?

When the metabolic rate decreased, the PCO2 decreasedleading to a pH of 7.52. The [HCO3-] increased. The respiratory system was compensating.

1. List and describe some possible causes of metabolic alkalosis, i.e. how the alkalosis is caused.

Metabolic alkalosis can result from an ingestion of alkali, such as antacids or bicarbonate; vomiting which results in a loss of H+ in the gastric acid; constipation which can result in significant reabsorption of HCO3-