What it means
Carbon dioxide forms acid in the blood. When breathing is too slow or shallow, or the lungs are damaged, it builds up. Arterial blood gases show a pH below 7.35 and a PaCO2 above 45 mm Hg. Causes include opioid or sedative overdose, COPD, severe pneumonia, and nerve or muscle weakness. Over days, the kidneys try to balance it by holding on to bicarbonate.
For the nurse
Watch breathing rate and depth and level of consciousness. Encourage deep breathing and coughing, raise the head of the bed, and be ready to support breathing.
At a glance
| Spanish | acidosis respiratoria |
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Related terms
arterial blood gas
A blood test from an artery that measures oxygen, carbon dioxide, bicarbonate and the blood's pH.
hypoxemia
A level of oxygen in the blood below normal.
bradypnea
Breathing that is slower than normal for the person's age.
respiratory failure
A state in which the lungs cannot put enough oxygen into the blood, or cannot remove enough carbon dioxide from it.