Hyperventilation syndrome and sustained hyperchloremia after kidney transplant: Time-sequence swing of acid-base interpretation

Abstract

An interaction between regained renal function in a transplanted kidney and hyperventilation syndrome may interfere with correct diagnosis of acid-base status in patients with preoperative nongap acidosis. Here, we present a patient with glomerular nephritis and hyperchloremia who underwent kidney transplant. Progressively increasing bicarbonate reabsorption by the renal graft, which thereby changed the arterial carbon dioxide tension-tobicarbonate ratio, resulted in a time-sequence swing of an acid-base interpretation despite persistent mixed respiratory alkalosis due to hyperventilation syndrome and nongap metabolic acidosis due to preexisting hyperchloremia. Specifically, the sequence was mixed primary metabolic acidosis and primary respiratory acidosis immediately after surgery, primary metabolic acidosis and secondary respiratory alkalosis on postoperative days 1 and 2, mixed primary hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis and primary respiratory alkalosis on postoperative day 3, and finally primary respiratory alkalosis and secondary hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis on postoperative day 7. This swing in the acid-base interpretation indicates that the acid-base imbalance described here does not fit the empirical relationship for calculating the expected bicarbonate or carbon dioxide tension value, suggesting that “correct” interpretation of acidbase status may not lead to “correct” diagnosis of acidbase status. It should be remembered that not every acid-base imbalance fits the empirical relationship.