Base excess in the other. A secondary (compensatory) process can be readily identified because it "opposes" the observed deviation in blood pH. For example, inadequate ventilation, a respiratory problem, causes a buildup of CO, hence respiratory acidosis; the kidneys then attempt to compensate for the low pH by raising blood bicarbonate. The kidneys only partially compensate, so the patient may still have a low blood pH, i.e. acidosis. In summary, the kidneys partially compensate for respiratory acidosis by raising blood bicarbonate. A high base excess, thus metabolic alkalosis, usually involves an excess of bicarbonate. It can be caused by A base deficit
Base excess a pCO of . A base deficit (i.e., a negative base excess) can be correspondingly defined in terms of the amount of strong base that must be added. A further distinction can be made between actual and standard base excess: actual base excess is that present in the blood, while standard base excess is the value when the hemoglobin is at 5 g/dl. The latter gives a better view of the base excess of the entire extracellular fluid. Base excess (or deficit) is one of several values typically reported with arterial blood gas analysis that is derived from other measured