Introduction
This CME Internet program provides an overview of acid-base and sodium disorders, common complications that are encountered not only in patients with kidney disease but in patients with various intoxications, serious illnesses, and in the post-operative condition. This symposium discusses current tools in diagnosing and treating acid-base/sodium disorders, and presents new therapeutic approaches for treating these conditions and their complications. The intended audience is nephrologists and other health professionals working with patients with kidney disease.

Program Objectives Include:

• Provide an overview of the role of acid-base disorders in patient outcomes, discuss the relationships among the various components of blood gases and the extent or respiratory and metabolic compensation.
• Discuss the pathophysiology of the anion gap, and to be able to differentiate anion-gap from non-anion-gap metabolic acidoses.
• Enable participants to arrive at a diagnostic approach to patients with metabolic alkalosis, and to arrive at appropriate treatment plans.
• Be able to arrive at a diagnostic approach to patients with metabolic alkalosis, and to arrive at appropriate treatment plans.
• Present an understanding of the renal tubular acidoses, and an understanding of concomitant potassium disorders.
• Discuss common causes of hypo- and hypernatremia, their impact on brain pathophysiology, and to present rational treatment plans to correct abnormalities of serum sodium.

Faculty

Carlos Ayus, MD
Professor of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX

Tomas Berl, MD
Professor of Medicine, and Chief, Division of Nephrology, University of Colorado Medical School, Denver, CO.

Thomas D. Dubose, Jr., MD
Professor of Medicine and Integrative Biology. Director, Division of Renal Disease and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, University of Texas at Houston

Robert G. Narins, MD
Professor of Medicine, Chief, Division of Nephrology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI. Director of Education, American Society of Nephrology.

Earning CME Credit

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essentials and Standards of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of the University of Minnesota and the American Society of Nephrology. The University of Minnesota is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The University of Minnesota designates this educational activity for up to 8.0 hours in category 1 credit towards the AMA Physician's Recognition Award. Each physician should claim only those hours of credit actually spent in the educational activity.

This activity was planned and produced in accordance with ACCME Essentials.

Date of original release: September, 1998; Modified and edited: February 08, 1999. Requests for CME credit must be received no later than February 08, 2000.
Estimated time of completion is 8 hours.

This program was presented as part of the September, 1998 American Society of Nephrology Annual Board Review Course in Nephrology, in San Francisco, CA. One of the lectures, given by Dr. Dubose on Renal Tubular Acidosis, was presented to the New York Society of Nephrology as part of their Annual Lecture Series. Any physician who earned CME credits at the Board Review Course is not eligible to receive CME credits for this Internet program.

To earn credit for viewing the lectures, please print out and complete the posttest and evaluation forms. Then go to the electronic answer sheet . Enter your answers from the test into the answer sheet. You will be allowed 3 attempts to answer at least 80% of the questions correctly. Upon successful completion of the post-test and evaluation forms, those requiring documentation of CME will be transferred to a secure payment site. There you will need to pay for the CME program. The charge for this particular program is $50.00 US. If you do not wish a CME certificate, you may take the test for free. The answers to the post-test are not provided, given the use of this test for CME accreditation purposes.