BEDSIDE DETERMINATION OF TOTAL BASE IN SERUM

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Abstract
In 1923, Gamble1 showed that the serum total base concentration reflected the total electrolyte concentration throughout the body and constructed his now famous Gamblegram to illustrate the importance of total base. However, total base was a difficult determination in the clinical laboratory. With the advent of the flame photometer, the serum sodium determination came to be used as a substitute for the determination of total base. This has not, however, been completely satisfactory. A flame photometer is not available in many laboratories. Furthermore, the technique is an expensive, exacting, time-consuming one for the average clinical laboratory and it is difficult to set up the photometer for a single weekend or night emergency determination. There is a need for a simpler, more widely available test. The principle of utilizing a column of cation exchange resin to determine total base is the basis for the methods of Polis and Reinhold2
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