Excessive vomiting will cause:

Appeared in: NIMHANS Nursing Officer - 2019

Explanation

Vomiting causes the loss of acidic gastric contents, specifically hydrochloric acid (HCl).
The loss of hydrogen ions (H+) from the body leads to a relative increase in bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻) in the blood.
This shift increases the blood's pH above the normal range (7.35-7.45), resulting in a state of metabolic alkalosis.

Option A: Acidosis is a condition where the blood is too acidic (low pH). Vomiting removes acid, making the blood more alkaline, not acidic.
Option C: This option is incorrect because excessive vomiting has a well-defined effect on the body's acid-base balance.
Option D: This option is incorrect because acidosis and alkalosis are opposite conditions. A single process like vomiting cannot cause both simultaneously as a primary effect.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Acid-Base Imbalance from Vomiting as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
A nurse caring for a patient with excessive vomiting must monitor for signs and symptoms of metabolic alkalosis, which include confusion, hand tremors, muscle twitching, and in severe cases, tetany or seizures.
Key nursing interventions include administering antiemetic medications to control vomiting, replacing lost fluids and electrolytes (particularly potassium and chloride) intravenously, and closely monitoring vital signs and lab values (arterial blood gases).
What if the patient had severe, prolonged diarrhea instead of vomiting? The nurse would anticipate metabolic acidosis due to the loss of bicarbonate-rich intestinal fluid and would monitor for symptoms like Kussmaul respirations (deep, rapid breathing) and lethargy.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the physiological process described in the question: 'excessive vomiting'.
Recall the nature of the fluid being lost. Gastric (stomach) fluid is highly acidic due to hydrochloric acid (HCl).
Deduce the effect of losing this fluid. Removing a large amount of acid from the body will make the remaining body fluids (blood) more alkaline (basic).
Match this outcome to the given options. An alkaline state is called 'Alkalosis'.
Eliminate 'Acidosis' as it is the opposite condition. 'None of these' and 'All of the above' are incorrect because a specific, correct answer exists.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Qxu4ZhT9VfRnknJLyemaqn

E6 Physiology Guyton 4SAE Part 2B p. 77-79

E6 Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics(2024) — Volume 1 p. 564-566

E6 Textbook of Biochemistry for medical StudentsDM Vasudevan Part 2 — Subpart A (pp 1-239 of 478) p. 82-84

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Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.