🧪 Acid-Base Disorders Made Easy: Mnemonics, ABGs, and Clinical Patterns

You walk into a simulation or get a test vignette: ABG shows pH 7.30, CO₂ 50. Is it respiratory or metabolic? Acute or chronic? Acid-base disorders can confuse even the most confident students—until now. Today, we'll break down a step-by-step ABG interpretation framework, teach you mnemonics for fast recall, and show you how to spot compensations that high scorers rely on.

🧫 ABG Basics: Normal Ranges

Parameter	Normal Value
pH	7.35 – 7.45
PaCO₂	35 – 45 mmHg
HCO₃⁻	22 – 28 mEq/L

🧠 KOTC Tip: Use arrows → ↑ means acidic (CO₂), ↓ HCO₃ = acidosis

🎯 Step-by-Step Approach

1. Check the pH

   • <7.35 = acidemia

   • 7.45 = alkalemia

2. Assess CO₂ and HCO₃⁻

   • Respiratory = CO₂ abnormal

   • Metabolic = HCO₃⁻ abnormal

3. Determine Compensation

   • Is the other value shifting to oppose the disturbance?

   • Full, partial, or no compensation?

Mnemonic: ROME

Respiratory = Opposite
Metabolic = Equal

Disorder	pH	CO₂	HCO₃⁻
Respiratory Acidosis	↓	↑	Normal / ↑
Respiratory Alkalosis	↑	↓	Normal / ↓
Metabolic Acidosis	↓	Normal / ↓	↓
Metabolic Alkalosis	↑	Normal / ↑	↑

🧪 High-Yield Patterns for Step 1/CK

Clue	Likely Disorder
Vomiting	Metabolic Alkalosis
Diarrhea	Non-anion gap Metabolic Acidosis
COPD	Chronic Respiratory Acidosis
Hyperventilation	Respiratory Alkalosis
DKA, sepsis	Anion Gap Metabolic Acidosis

📌 KOTC’s question bank includes “ABG Rapid Reads” with one-sentence labs.

✅ KOTC Visual Tools

• “ABG Triangle” to match pH/CO₂/HCO₃ shifts

• Compensation formula cards

• Audio walk-throughs of USMLE-style questions

• Mnemonic packs: ROME, MUDPILES, GOLDMARK

📌 Before You Go…

Don’t panic at the blood gas. Decode it with confidence.

🎯 Call-to-Action (CTA)

Use KOTC’s ABG analyzers, mnemonics, and rapid-fire quiz decks to lock in acid-base logic and maximize your test-day speed.
👉 Get started now

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