What Causes High Anion Gap Metabolic Acidosis?
What Is the Anion Gap? The anion gap is a derived value used to help determine the cause of an acid-base imbalance. It compares the main measured positive ions and negative ions in blood, especially serum sodium , serum chloride , and serum bicarbonate . In basic terms, it estimates the amount of unmeasured anions in the bloodstream. The classic calculation is based on the idea that blood should remain electrically neutral. When bicarbonate drops and chlor