Anatomy subcategory
Blood Gases and Acid Base
Mnemonics for arterial blood gas interpretation and acid base disorders.
Entries in Blood Gases and Acid Base
Respiratory Opposite, Metabolic Equal
A mnemonic to remember the relationship between pH and primary values in acid-base disorders.
Check pH, then carbon dioxide, then bicarbonate, then compensation, then the anion gap
A memory aid for a systematic approach to blood gas interpretation.
Sodium minus chloride and bicarbonate, normally 8 to 16 mmol per litre
A memory aid for calculating and interpreting the anion gap.
Oxygenation first, then pH, then carbon dioxide, then bicarbonate
A memory aid for the order in which to read an arterial blood gas.
A pulse oximeter reads two wavelengths and can be badly misled
A memory aid for carboxyhaemoglobin, methaemoglobin and the pulse oximeter's blind spots.
Predictable formulae reveal whether a second disorder is present
A memory aid for the expected compensation in each acid-base disorder.
MUDPILES or GOLDMARK for the unmeasured anions
A mnemonic for the causes of a raised anion gap metabolic acidosis.
Type A from hypoperfusion, type B without it
A memory aid for interpreting a raised lactate.
Type A from hypoperfusion, type B without hypoxia
A memory aid for the two types of lactic acidosis.
Two wavelengths distinguish oxyhaemoglobin from deoxyhaemoglobin in pulsatile blood
A memory aid for how pulse oximetry works and when it misleads.
Type 1 distal, type 2 proximal, type 4 hypoaldosteronism
A memory aid for the types of renal tubular acidosis.
Anything reducing alveolar ventilation, from brain to alveolus
A memory aid for the causes of carbon dioxide retention.
Hypoxia, central stimulation, lung disease, drugs and anxiety
A memory aid for the causes of hyperventilation.
Type 1 is a gas exchange problem, type 2 a ventilation problem
A memory aid for classifying respiratory failure and its causes.