Question

This girl's body needs to compensate for the acid/base imbalance noted above. Knowing that the lungs will compensate when the "metabolic" side is "sick" and the kidneys will compensate when the lungs are "sick," which compensatory response would you expect?

1) Hyperventilation –increased respiratory rate (RR)– to "blow off" CO₂; this is the lungs' way to get rid of acids.
2) Hypoventilation–decreased RR– to "hold onto" CO₂, since CO₂ is an alkali that will counteract the acidosis.
3) Kidneys will excrete more HCO₃ into the urine to get rid of acidic byproducts.
4) By hyperventilating and blowing off CO₂, the body will bring the pH down to normal range.

Answer 1

The body compensates for metabolic acidosis by increasing the respiratory rate (hyperventilation) to exhale more CO2, thereby correcting the acid/base imbalance and raising the blood pH toward normal levels. This is known as respiratory compensation, which is more efficient than renal compensation in cases of metabolic acidosis.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine which compensatory response would be expected when the body needs to correct an acid/base imbalance, it is essential to understand how the body counteracts metabolic acidosis and alkalosis. In the case of metabolic acidosis, the body compensates by increasing the respiratory rate to exhale more carbon dioxide (CO2), since CO2 can combine with water to form carbonic acid in the blood. This physiological response, known as respiratory compensation, helps to rebalance the ratio of bicarbonate to carbonic acid and raise the blood pH back towards normal levels.

On the other hand, in the case of metabolic alkalosis, the kidneys compensate by reducing bicarbonate reabsorption and increasing hydrogen ion secretion, but respiratory compensation is less efficient. The respiratory system may decrease breathing rate to retain CO2 and lower pH; however, since there's a limit to how much the respiratory rate can decrease without causing hypoxia, this mechanism is less effective. Therefore, the correct compensatory response to expect in the case of metabolic acidosis is hyperventilation, as described in option 1, which is to increase the respiratory rate (RR) to "blow off" excess CO2 and correct the acidosis.