Efficacy of urine alkalinization by oral administration of sodium bicarbonate: A prospective open-label trial

Background Urine alkalinization is indicated for various medical conditions. Alkalinization is usually achieved by intravenous administration of alkali substances titrated by repeated urinalyses. Some situations such as mass casualty events might require urine alkalinization by the oral route. We evaluated the efficacy of oral sodium bicarbonate administration for urine alkalinization. Methods In a prospective open-label trial, 4 g of sodium bicarbonate was administered orally 3 times daily to 9 healthy volunteers for 24 hours. Serial blood and urine samples were collected, and urine pH was evaluated. Plasma electrolytes and pH were also measured for safety purposes. Results All participants had a urine pH of at least 7 after 10 hours. At 20 hours, all participants had a urine pH of at least 8. No adverse effects or abnormal blood results were documented during the 24-hour follow-up. Conclusions Oral administration of a standard dose of sodium bicarbonate tablets resulted in effective urine alkalinization. Further research is needed to investigate the natural course of urine pH after cessation of our protocol and the efficacy of longer periods of treatment.