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.
An acid-base chart for arterial blood with normal and pathophysiological reference areas.
Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation 1971, 27 (3): 239-45
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