Figure 1. Components of total carbon dioxide content.

A: Idealized normal subject. B: Arterial blood gas dCO₂, plus H₂CO₃, plus HCO₃^- in the first set of blood tests in the patient presented in this report. C: Serum TCO₂ in the first set of blood tests in the patient of this report. The concentration of arterial dCO₂ was substantially higher in B than in A. Despite adjustment for the high dCO₂, the measured concentration of TCO₂ in serum (C) remained substantially higher than its computed concentration in the blood gasses (B).