About CLSIâs Subcommittee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) The goal of the Subcommittee on AST is to provide useful information to enable laboratories to assist the clinician in selecting appropriate antimicrobial therapy for the best patient care.
Respiratory alkalosis. Respiratory alkalosis develops when rapid, deep breathing (hyperventilation) causes too much carbon dioxide to be expelled from the bloodstream. The most common cause of hyperventilation, and thus respiratory alkalosis, is anxiety. Other causes of hyperventilation and consequent respiratory alkalosis include pain, low levels of oxygen in the blood, fever, and aspirin overdose (which can also cause metabolic acidosis).
There are two types of respiratory alkalosis: chronic and acute as a result of the 3-5 day delay in kidney compensation of the abnormality. 1  Acute respiratory alkalosis occurs rapidly. 2  For every 10 mmHg drop in PCO2 in arterial blood, there is a corresponding 2 mEq/L drop in bicarbonate ion due to acute compensation. Chronic respiratory alkalosis is a more long-standing condition. 2  For every 10 mmHg drop in PCO 2 in arterial blood, there is a corresponding 5 mEq/L drop in bicarbonate ion. 3  The drop of 5 mEq/L of bicarbonate ion is a compensation effect which reduces the alkalosis effect of the drop in PCO 2 in blood.