DaVita In-Center Hemodialysis (ICHD) Nurse/PCT Practice Test

A decrease in blood pH, indicating increased acidity, triggers the respiratory system to compensate by increasing both the respiratory rate and depth. This physiological change is the body's method of attempting to correct the pH imbalance. When carbon dioxide levels in the blood rise, leading to acidosis, the body responds by increasing ventilation to expel more carbon dioxide, which helps raise the pH back toward normal levels.

Maintaining acid-base balance is crucial for normal bodily functions, and the respiratory system plays a key role in this process. Increasing respiratory activity enhances oxygen supply and helps remove excess CO2, which can counteract the effects of acidosis. This compensatory mechanism is fundamental in the context of conditions that contribute to acidosis, such as metabolic or respiratory disorders.

The other choices do not directly correlate with the physiological response to decreased blood pH: coagulation does not increase as a direct result of pH change, blood flow is typically not decreased in response to acidosis alone, and blood pressure responses can vary rather than consistently increase. Thus, the increase in respiratory rate and depth is the appropriate and direct physiological response to a decrease in blood pH.