A comparison of traditional and quantitative analysis of acid-base and electrolyte imbalance in 87 cats

Abstract

Acid?base disorder is a common problem in veterinary emergency and critical care. Traditional methods, as well as the Stewart method based on strong ion difference concepts and the Fencl?Stewart method, can be used to analyze the underlying causes. On the other hand, there are insufficient comparative study data on these methods in cats. From 2018 to 2020, 327 acid?base analysis data were collected from 69 sick and 18 healthy cats. The three most well-known methods (traditional method, Stewart method, and Fencl?Stewart method) were used to analyze the acid?base status. The frequency of acid?base imbalances and the degree of variation according to the disease were also evaluated. In the traditional acid-base analysis, 5/69 (7.2%) cats showed a normal acid-base status, and 23.2% and 40.6% of the simple and mixed disorders, respectively. The Fencl?Stewart method showed changes in both the acidotic and alkalotic processes in 64/69 (92.8%), whereas all cats showed an abnormal status in the Fencl?Stewart method (semiquantitative approach). The frequencies of the different acid-base imbalances were identified according to the analysis method. These findings can assist in analyzing the underlying causes of acid?base imbalance and developing the appropriate treatment. ? 2021 The Korean Society of Veterinary Science.