Historical Knowledge of the Acid-Base State; Importance for the Clinical Approach

Abstract

The Acid-Base state is the result of all the chemical reactions that occur in the body; therefore, it can be understood as a reflection of the behavior of all biological solutions in the body. The current understanding of the Acid-Base state, the knowledge about the behavior of the buffer mechanisms of H+ and its incidence on the systemic function is the result of a historical integration with multiple views on the subject.

The objective of this article was to do a historical review of the postulates made by Brönsted, Lowry, Henderson, Hasselbalch, Stewart, Siggaard-Andersen, and other authors' references of the Acid-Base state, recognizing their involvement in the current clinical approach. A systematized documentary review of scientific articles and publications consulted on the PubMed, EMBASE, and SciELO platforms was carried out.

Theoretical knowledge around the Acid-Base state is presented as a fundamental support for the establishment of a clear concept about the clinical problems of patients and for the resolution of therapeutic hypotheses. The management and understanding of the conceptual basis of the Acid-Base state are presented as an opportunity to increase the clinical and pathophysiological correlation prior to therapeutic management that can influence respiratory and ventilatory dynamics, metabolism, and the specific requirement of therapeutic strategies in different health conditions.