Base Excess

Used in assessing acid-base status

Questions

About

Base excess is defined as the amount of strong acid that must be added to each liter of fully oxygenated blood to return the pH to 7.40 at a temperature of 37°C and a pCO2 of 40 mmHg (5.3 kPa), while a base deficit (ie. a negative base excess) is defined by the amount of strong base that must be added.

The formula for base deficit is as follows:

Base excess = 0.02786 X pCO2 X 10^(pH - 6.1) + 13.77 X pH - 124.58

References

Siggaard-Andersen O.

Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation 1971, 27 (3): 239-45

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1. pCO₂

mm Hg
0/2 completed