Analysis of pH, electrolytes and non-invasive respiratory support in COPD with elevated CO2.

The contributions of pH balance and electrolytes among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experiencing hypercapnic exacerbations requiring non-invasive ventilation (NIV) are of interest. Hence, we used samples from 70 patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital from January to June 2023. The main variable analyzed was arterial blood gas data and serum electrolyte levels. A positive correlation between bicarbonate levels and PCO2 was found, with p < 0.01 and r = 0.74, indicating metabolic compensation for respiratory acidosis. NIV was required in the majority of patients: in 64.3%, values were higher for both PCO2 (52.3 ± 7.1 mmHg vs. 39.6 ± 4.3 mmHg) and bicarbonate levels (32.4 ± 4.8m Eq/L vs. 26.1 ± 3.1 m Eq/L; p < 0.01) in the NIV group. Thus, data highlights the role of monitoring PCO2 and bicarbonate in guiding the use of NIV and in a more secondary role to hypercapnia disturbances in electrolytes.