Grocery Store Baking Soda: A Source of Sodium Bicarbonate in the Management of Chronic Metabolic Acidosis

• Published in: Clinical pediatrics 1984-02, Vol.23 (2), p.94-96
• Main Authors: Booth, Beverley E., Gates, Jay, Morris, R. Curtis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acidosis, Renal Tubular - drug therapy; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Bicarbonates - administration & dosage; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child, Preschool; Emergency and intensive care: neonates and children. Prematurity. Sudden death; Humans; Infant; Intensive care medicine; Medical sciences; Molecular Weight; Nonprescription Drugs; Sodium Bicarbonate
• ISSN: 0009-9228; 1938-2707
• DOI: 10.1177/000992288402300205

Oral sodium bicarbonate is used to treat metabolic acidosis in patients with renal tubular acidosis. Since infants and young children are unable to swallow tablets, those affected must ingest sodium bicarbonate in a powder or liquid form. Pharmacy-weighed sodium bicarbonate is expensive and inconvenient to obtain; some pharmacists are reluctant to provide it. We determined that the sodium bicarbonate contained in 8-oz boxes of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda® was sufficiently constant in weight that, dissolved in water to a given volume, it yielded a quantitatively acceptable therapeutic solution of sodium bicarbonate at a cost of approximately 3 percent of that of pharmacy- weighed sodium bicarbonate. Grocery store baking soda can be a safe, economical, and convenient source of sodium bicarbonate for the treatment of chronic metabolic acidosis in infants and young children.