Mark Klimek Lecture Notes
LECTURE 1: Acid Base Balance & Ventilator
Interpreting blood gases
(remember the rules of the B’s)
If the pH and the bicarb are both in the same direction then it’s metaBolic
(Bicarb Both
...
Mark Klimek Lecture Notes
LECTURE 1: Acid Base Balance & Ventilator
Interpreting blood gases
(remember the rules of the B’s)
If the pH and the bicarb are both in the same direction then it’s metaBolic
(Bicarb Both Bolic), if they are in different directions then it is respiratory
If bicarb is normal and the pH is low or high then its respiratory
You will be given 8 values for arterial blood gas, always first look at the pH
and the bicarb first
You get acidosis and alkalosis from the pH
LABS: ABG’s
The normal pH is 7.35-7.45
The normal bicarb is 22-26 (the bicarb years where you make all the decisions
[22-26 years old], or 2+2+2=6)
The normal CO2 is 35-45 (same as pH)
Signs and Symptoms with ABG’s
As the pH goes up so does my patient
o If the pH goes up, every system in your body gets more
irritable/hyperexcitable
As the pH goes down so does my patient
o If the pH goes down, systems in your body shut down
Except for potassium- When pH goes down, potassium goes up
If the pH goes up (alkalosis): you will find irritability, hyperreflexia (3&4),
tachypnea, tachycardia, borborygmi (increased bowel sounds), seizure (need
suctioning at the bed side because they can seize and aspirate)
If pH goes down (acidosis): hyporeflexia, bradycardia, lethargy, obtunded,
paralytic ileus, coma, respiratory arrest (need bag-mask ventilation bag at
bedside for respiratory arrest), +1 reflexes
MACkussmal- compensatory and respiratory pattern for only acid base
disorder: MAC- Metabolic ACidosisRespiratory Acidosis multiple choice example: What would you see with a
patient who is in respiratory acidosis?
a. +1 reflex,
b. diarrhea,
c. adynamic ileus (no movement),
d. spasm,
e. urinary retention,
f. paraxysmol atrial tachycardia,
g. second degree lovitz, type 2 heart block (impulse is being slowed),
h. hypokalemia
LAB: REFLEXES
0&1-hyporeflexia
2-normal
3&4- hyperreflexia
EXAMPLE: (In general what do pain meds do?
ANSWER: They sedate you, they are CNS depressants: lethargy, lucidity, reflexes at
+1, hyporeflexia, obtundent
Causes of Acid Base Imbalance
Don’t get signs and symptoms mixed up with causation!!!
What causes something is the opposite of what the signs and symptoms are
o EXAMPLE: diarrhea will cause a metabolic acidosis but once you get
acidotic, it will shut your bowels down and you will get a paralytic ileus.
The first question you should ask yourself if the scenario involves a lung
problem.
o Is it a respiratory problem? BUT remember it can still be respiratory
acidosis/alkalosis…
Next question you ask yourself…
o is the client overventilating or underventilating?
o If the patient is overventilating pick alkalosis
o If they are underventilating pick acidosis
If the client is overventilating.. it has an attachment to the word- alkalosis
(because they are both OVER)… ventilating OVER becomes respiratory
ALKALOSIS If the client is undeventilating.. it has an attachment to the word- acidosis
(because they are both UNDER)- ventilating UNDER becomes respiratory
ACIDOSIS
Examples:
1) A woman is overzealously using her breathing techniques during labor, what
acid base disorder will she exhibit? Overventilation
o Respiratory Alkalosis
2) A child is near drowning, what acid base disorder would it be?
Underventilating
o Respiratory Acidosis
3) Your patient has emphysema, what acid base disorder would it be?
Underventilating
o Respiratory Acidosis
Ventilating does not mean respiratory rate.. respiratory rate is irrelevantventilation has to do with gas exchange!!
Examples:
1) Patient has pneumonia in 4 lobes of the lung, breathing at 50/min and their
SO2 is at 78 on 8 liters per max
o Explanation: Breathing really fast while still having a low O2 level
means that the patient is still underventilating because respiratory
rate has nothing to do with it. Everyone pays so much attention to
rate when they should be paying closer attention to the SO2.
o If your SO2 is good and you are breathing slow, you are fine but if
your SO2 is low and you’re breathing fast, you are actually
underventilating. A lot of times the respiratory rate compensatespay attention to SO2!!!
2) Patient is on a PCA pump, what acid base imbalance would tell you they need
to come off that thing?
o A PCA pump depresses respirations. So, patients need to come off
of it as soon as possible because if they were getting too much it
would make their respiratory rate go really down which wouldmake the patient underventilate so the answer would be
respiratory acidosis.
o So respiratory acidosis would tell you that you need to come off
the PCA pump.
What if its not lung?
It would be Metabolic.
Only one scenario that you will answer metabolic alkalosis: if the patient has
prolonged gastric vomiting or suctioning
pick metabolic alkalosis.. Why?
o Pt is losing acid... pt will become basic
Otherwise everything else that is not lung or the above, pick metabolic
acidosis
Ex.
1) Patient had GI surgery and has had an NG tube to low intermittent gone post
suctioning for 3 days, what acid base disorder would he most likely exhibit?
o Metabolic alkalosis
2) Patient has hyper emesis gravidarum , what acid base disorder are they going
to exhibit
o Metabolic alkalosis
3) Continuation: Pt is going to be dehydrated- what acid base disorder would
they have?
o Metabolic acidosis
4) Pt has acute renal failure, what acid base disorder would this be?
o Metabolic acidosis- its not lung or vomiting or suctioning so it has to
be metabolic acidosis
5) A pt with infantile diarrhea would have what acid base disorder?
o Metabolic acidosis
6) A pt with third degree burns over 60 percent of the body?o First phase- metabolic acidosis
If you don’t know what it is, just choose metabolic acidosis!!
RECAP
What do you have to know for Acid Base?
If the pH and the Bicarb are both in the same direction, its metabolic
The direction my pH goes, so does my patient, except for potassium
MACkussmal- compensatory and respiratory pattern for only acid base
disorder: MAC- Metabolic Acidosis
Overventilate: (alkalosis) - translate the word
Underventalate: (acidosis) - (translate the word)
Vomiting or suctioning=metabolic alkalosis
Everything else is metabolic acidosis if I don’t know what it is
*always pay attention to the modifying phrase than the original noun
example*
Person with OCD who is now psychotic… what is more important?
Obpsychotic and not OCD
VENTILATION
Alarms and how blood gases articulate with ventilates
High pressure alarm is set off by increased resistance to air flow
(machine is having to push too hard to get the air into the lungs) – machine
will set off a high pressure alarm ( set alarms for appropriate pressures)
What would cause the high pressure alarm? OBSTRUCTIONS
1) Kinks in the tubing (unkink the tube)
2) Water condensing within the tube/dependent loops (empty water out of
tubing)
3) Mucus secretions in the airway (change position, turn, cough, deep breath
and if that doesn’t work… THEN you suction)
Nurses must only suction patients as necessary and only when
you have already turned, cough and helped patient deep breath
***good example for drag and drop question***
Low pressure alarms- decreased resistance- (too easy to push breath in) two
disconnections. DISCONNECTION
1) main tubing (reconnect)2) oxygen sensor tubing (senses the FIO2 right at the trache area- wire black
coated.. goes right alone the tubing and comes right to the trache and hooks
into the hole into the tubing)
Acid Base disorders
Respiratory alkalosis : Overventilating means ventilator settings may be too high
Respiratory acidosis: Underventilating means the settings are too low
Example
1) Dr. says to wean pt off vent in AM- 6 am ABGs show respiratory acidosis, what
would you do?
A. Follow the order
B. Call respiratory therapy (**never pick answer where you don’t do
something and someone else has to do something**)
C. Hold the order and call the doctor
D. Begin to decrease the settings
ANSWER:
C. Hold the order and call the doctor: because pt underventilating on the
ventilator and without it he’d be even worse. If he has respiratory alkalosis it could
mean he’s being overventalated, which means he doesn’t need the machine.
Lecture 2: Alcoholism, Delirium Tremors & Peak
and Trough
Alcoholism: Psych + Med surg
Psychodynamics- The number one problem of psychological in alcoholism is the
same exact problem for any abuse: DENIAL
Abusers have an infinite capacity to deny
Denying allows the abuser to keep doing it without having to answer for it
It is number 1 because how can you treat someone who denies they have a
problem and until they admit they have a problem.
Definition of denial: refusal to accept the reality of a problem
How do you treat denial?
Confronting it by pointing out the difference to the person of what they say
and what they do
o “okay, you say you are not an alcoholic but its 10 am and you already
drank a 6 pack”o “You say you’re not a child abuser but protective services has your
children”
confrontation (attacks the problem) is not the same as aggression (attacks
the person)
Don’t ever choose answer that uses the word YOU with confrontations only
the letter I
Deny --> confront
Not with loss and grieving (DABDA- denial, anger, bargaining, depression,
acceptance)
What do you do for the denial of loss and grief?
Support it because it serves a function
Dependency and Codependency
Dependency- when the abuser gets the significant other to do things for them
or make decisions for them (the abuser is dependent)
Codependency- when the significant other derives positive self-esteem from
making decisions for or doing things for the abuser
o Pathologic and yet symbiotic relationship
o Abuser gets a life without responsibility and a SO gets positive selfesteem
Treatment?
Set limits and enforce it- teach SO to start saying NO and to keep doing it
Must work on self-esteem of codependent person first or it will never workthe dependent abuser is going to make them feel bad when they start saying
NO and emotionally manipulate them
Codependent person has to say.. I AM saying NO because I’m a good person-
(usually the relationship will break up in the end)
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