Acid-base disorders occur commonly among hospitalized patients and are important markers of altered physiologic states.

A full assessment of the patient's acid-base status includes the search for abnormal patterns of pH, PaCO2 and bicarbonate, and the estimation of expected respiratory and/or metabolic responses, the anion gap and, in some cases, the delta ratio. This approach is time consuming and prone to logical and calculation errors.

Acid-Base Dx assists in the quick, accurate and complete evaluation of the patient's acid-base status according to the generally accepted 'Physiological Approach'. Analyser-specific reference values can be set and allow adaptation of the algorithm to different work environments.

A description of the most common causes and treatment of specific acid-base disorders is included.