What is the reference range for serum TCO2?

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Total CO2 in serum mainly mirrors the bicarbonate portion of the blood’s buffering system, so it’s a practical proxy for bicarbonate concentration and overall acid–base status. A normal range for this measure is roughly from the low twenties up to around thirty millimoles per liter. Values at or below the lower end point can indicate metabolic acidosis or loss of bicarbonate, while values at or above the upper end point can point to metabolic alkalosis or compensatory changes. Because the other offered ranges fall outside this typical interval—one being clearly too low, another too high, and another shifted toward the high end—they don’t align with the normal distribution for serum TCO2 as well as the range described here. In practice, remember that labs may have slightly different reference values, but the general idea is that serum TCO2 sits near the low twenties to about thirty millimoles per liter.