Which ABG description best matches metabolic acidosis due to diarrhea?

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Multiple Choice

Which ABG description best matches metabolic acidosis due to diarrhea?

Explanation:
When diarrhea occurs, bicarbonate is lost from the intestinal tract, reducing the blood’s buffering capacity. That loss of base shifts the acid-base balance toward acidosis, so the arterial pH drops. Because the problem is metabolic (not primarily a respiratory one), the body compensates by blowing off CO2 via rapid breathing, which lowers the partial pressure of CO2. The net ABG pattern you’d expect is a low pH with a low bicarbonate level, and a compensatory decrease in PaCO2. The other patterns describe alkalosis or a mismatch that doesn’t fit the typical diarrhea-induced change.

When diarrhea occurs, bicarbonate is lost from the intestinal tract, reducing the blood’s buffering capacity. That loss of base shifts the acid-base balance toward acidosis, so the arterial pH drops. Because the problem is metabolic (not primarily a respiratory one), the body compensates by blowing off CO2 via rapid breathing, which lowers the partial pressure of CO2. The net ABG pattern you’d expect is a low pH with a low bicarbonate level, and a compensatory decrease in PaCO2. The other patterns describe alkalosis or a mismatch that doesn’t fit the typical diarrhea-induced change.

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