Respiratory acidosis

Respiratory acidosis
Davenport diagram
Specialty	Intensive care medicine, pulmonology, internal medicine

Respiratory acidosis is a state in which decreased ventilation (hypoventilation) increases the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood and decreases the blood's pH (a condition generally called acidosis).

Carbon dioxide is produced continuously as the body's cells respire, and this CO₂ will accumulate rapidly if the lungs do not adequately expel it through alveolar ventilation. Alveolar hypoventilation thus leads to an increased PaCO₂ (a condition called hypercapnia). The increase in PaCO₂ in turn decreases the HCO−3/PaCO₂ ratio and decreases pH.