Acid-base disorders may complicate the presentation of patients with poisoning. This article summarizes an approach to acid-base disorders from a toxicologic perspective. It aims to assist the reader in identifying underlying acid-base processes, generating a differential diagnosis for each, and approaching that differential diagnosis in a systematic fashion. Understanding these processes will help to guide management and interventional strategies.
Keywords: Acid-base; Acidemia; Alkalemia; Anion gap; Delta gap; Osmol gap; Toxicity.
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