15 days at the VA – day 3

19 Dec
2009

Not too bad, 9 admissions, but several were just overnight admissions.  I always am hyperfunctioning on Friday post call days.  We have to work hard, because many things are not available on the weekends.

Yesterday I posed a question about treating metabolic acidosis with bicarbonate.  I recommend this article – Bicarbonate Therapy in Severe Metabolic Acidosis

Here is the abstract:

The utility of bicarbonate administration to patients with severe metabolic acidosis remains controversial. Chronic bicarbonate replacement is obviously indicated for patients who continue to lose bicarbonate in the ambulatory setting, particularly patients with renal tubular acidosis syndromes or diarrhea. In patients with acute lactic acidosis and ketoacidosis, lactate and ketone bodies can be converted back to bicarbonate if the clinical situation improves. For these patients, therapy must be individualized. In general, bicarbonate should be given at an arterial blood pH of ≤7.0. The amount given should be what is calculated to bring the pH up to 7.2. The urge to give bicarbonate to a patient with severe acidemia is apt to be all but irresistible. Intervention should be restrained, however, unless the clinical situation clearly suggests benefit. Here we discuss the pros and cons of bicarbonate therapy for patients with severe metabolic acidosis.

The patient was scheduled for an interventional radiology procedure yesterday to drain the cholangitis.  The bicarbonate stayed stable and the ABG did not confirm a significant acidosis, rather the patient had both a mild metabolic acidosis and a mild respiratory alkalosis.

Related posts:

  1. 15 days at the VA – day 2
  2. Part 2 of the acid-base problem
  3. Normal gap acidosis from diarrhea
  4. My thoughts on March 8 acid-base
  5. 15 days at the VA – day 10

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