The medical term for low serum carbon dioxide levels is hypocapnia. It is usually caused by hyperventilation -- known as acute hypocapnia -- but can also result from asthma or hindrances to cerebral autoregulation, which is the disrupted regulation of blood flow in the brain due to tumors, hematomas or injuries. Doctors also sometimes induce hypercapnia in newborn infants to prevent injury or death in the event that the infants need mechanical ventilation, according to the medical Journal "Clinics in Perinatology."
Respiratory alkalosis occurs when a person hyperventilates or breathes so fast that he depletes a majority of the carbon dioxide in his system causing an acid-base imbalance. In order to stay in balance, the body needs a certai...
Arterial Blood Gases, or ABGs, measure the amounts of oxygen, carbon dioxide and acid/base level in the blood, according to Medline Plus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. ABGs are ordered if the patient has d...
These diagnostic tests can determine if a person has respiratory acidosis, respiratory alkalosis, metabolic acidosis or metabolic alkalosis.
Blood gases are the dissolved gases in the bloodstream, namely oxygen and carbon dioxide. These gases are measured by taking a sample of blood from an artery, usually the wrist and measuring the partial pressure of the dissol...
A blood gas, also called an arterial blood gas or ABG, is a blood test that measures the oxygen saturation (Sa02), carbon dioxide (PaC02), partial pressure of oxygen (Pa02), pH, and bicarbonate (HC03) of arterial blood. The blo...
Blood gas analysis is also called arterial blood gases, or ABGs. This test allows your doctor to assess and manage, if needed, the status of your lung and kidney function and check for acid-base and electrolyte balances. It als...
