The reduction in plasma chloride in the experimental groups in the
present experimentwas probably the result of an electroneutral ion exchange
with HCO3
− (Lloyd and White, 1967; Fivelstad et al., 2003b;
Hosfeld et al., 2008). According to Heisler (1984) plasma osmolarity is
kept constant during hypercapnia which means that there is an equivalent
reduction in plasma chloride as the bicarbonate concentration
increases. The correlation between carbon dioxide concentration and
plasma chloride was highly significant and thus makes it possible