Figure 2
From: Renal tubular acidosis is highly prevalent in critically ill patients
Standard base excess (SBE) and base excess subsets on days with and without renal tubular acidosis. Forty-three percent of the patients (86 of 373 patient days) presented with hyperchloremic acidosis on one or more days represented as pronounced negative BEChloride. However, this was frequently neutralized mainly by simultaneously decreased plasma albumin levels resulting in positive BEAlbumin and partly by positive BEUMA leading to a neutral arterial pH. In 26 of these 43 patients (55 of 373 patient days) hyperchloremic acidosis was associated with RTA characterized by a UOG of less than 150 mosmol/kg in combination with a preserved renal function. BEAlbumin, base excess attributable to changes of plasma albumin; BEChloride, base excess attributable to changes of plasma chloride; BESodium, base excess attributable to changes of free water; BEUMA, base excess attributable to unmeasured anions; RTA, renal tubular acidosis; UOG, urine osmolal gap.