View clinical trials related to Respiratory Alkalosis.
Filter by:Alterations of acid-base equilibrium are very common in critically ill patients and understanding their pathophysiology can be important to improve clinical treatment. The human organism is protected against acid-base disorders by several compensatory mechanisms that minimize pH variations in case of blood variations in carbon dioxide content. The aim of the present study is to quantify the buffer power, i.e. the capacity to limit pH variations in response to carbon dioxide changes, in critically ill septic patients and compare these results with data collected from healthy volunteers.
Background: Chronic Idiopathic Hyperventilation (CIH) is a form of dysfunctional breathing which has proven hard to treat effectively. The investigators hypothesised that by periodically inducing normocapnia over several weeks, it would be possible to raise the normal resting level/set point of CO2 and achieve a reduction of symptoms. Methods: Six CIH patients were treated two hours a day for four weeks with a novel breathing mask. The mask was used to induce normocapnia in these chronically hypocapnic patients. Capillary blood gases (PcCO2, pH, Standard Base Excess (SBE) etc.) were measured at baseline and once each week at least three hours after mask use, as well as spirometric values, breath holding tolerance and hyperventilation symptoms as per the Nijmegen Questionnaire (NQ),.