OBJECTIVE: To review limitations of the use of serum anion gap in clinical practice. DATA SOURCES: Original reports and reviews. STUDY SELECTION: Sources containing the most recent pertinent information. DATA SYNTHESIS: Theoretical and practical limitations beset the use of serum anion gap. Awareness of these limitations reduces but does not eliminate wrong diagnoses based on the anion gaps. CONCLUSIONS: Serum anion gap has a limited value in the differential diagnosis of acid-base disorders and can be misleading.
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Mahmoud Salem (1992) studied this question.
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