MUDPILES is a long-standing acronym that is used to quickly recall the likely causes of high anion gap metabolic acidosis but it usually stops right there. How do the components cause acidosis? Why is it important to know the how? Understanding vs Memorizing As our patients increasingly present with more complex comorbidities the straight pathwayContinue reading “MUDPILES: The One Shared Trait that Leads to Acidosis”
Tag Archives: metabolic acidosis
Anion Gap & Neutrality: Filling in the Knowledge Gap
The anion gap is a calculation that measures the balance of select negative and positive charges (anion and cations respectively) in plasma. Anion gap is critical for the assessment of acid -base disorders which is an umbrella diagnosis that has many causes including renal failure, toxicities, sepsis and diabetic ketoacidosis. Though the name suggests thereContinue reading “Anion Gap & Neutrality: Filling in the Knowledge Gap”
Read an ABG in 4 Simple Steps
Arterial Blood Gas Terminology Arterial blood gas (ABGs) are drawn from arterial blood and measures the concentration of concentration of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood among other things. Everything we will discuss is centered around the goal of maintaining a normal blood pH. The general term used for pathologies surrounding blood pH isContinue reading “Read an ABG in 4 Simple Steps”