Question

It has been shown that salicylates act directly on the nervous system to stimulate respiration. Thus, our patient is hyperventilating due to her salicylate overdose. a. Explain how the salicylate-induced hyperventilation leads to the values of pO2 and pCO2 symptoms seen in the patient. b. Explain how the salicylate-induced hyperventilation causes the pH of the patient's blood to increase. Illustrate your answer with the appropriate equations. c. Why was the bicarbonate drip necessary?

Answer 1

The answers to the above questions are:

a. Typically when patient shows Salicylate induced hyperventilation, the values of O2 increases while CO2 decreases due to loss of CO2(hyperventilation)

Symptoms of hyperventilation seen are feeling dizzy, headache, lightheaded, dry mouth, confusion, numbness/tingling around mouth, changes in vision, bloating

b. To compensate for metabolic acidosis, body starts working to increase pH by hyperventilation leading to compensatory respiratory alkalosis

-The buffer system to maintain pH is:

H2O + CO2   <---> H2CO3 <---> HCO3^- + H⁺

(Respiratory)

Slow breathing- high CO2

Fast breathing- low CO2

Too much CO2----> too much acid formation(low pH)

c. Salicylate overdose causes primarily metabolic acidosis leading to decreased pH. So, the body compensates through hyperventilation by removing excess CO2 to increase pH level. So bicarbonate drip will help to decrease metabolic acidosis helping body to stop compensation and bringing back the pH to its normal level