From the blood draw, several measurements are derived and others are calculated. The concentration of Base (high pH ions) is one of them.
BE is part of the Bicarbonate Buffer system. This alkaline level can help determine if the saturation of CO2 is dangerous or not. Several organs in the body take part in keeping this balance normal including the kidneys and the heart. The understanding of this balanced process allow for symptom diagnosis far beyond just Shortness of breath. Take a look at the explanation in this video.:
https://youtu.be/ArmELNEfXs0

Notice it is a two-way (dynamic and balanced) equation.
You will see that proper hydration has a lot to do with keeping things in balance. You can also reason that stronger breathing is not always the right answer either. It doesn't say it here, but potassium, magnesium and sodium levels in the kidney are the Key. This is why the athlete always takes a sip of H2O at the end of the competition. It's not because they are thirsty! 🤔
Trust me. If two or three doctors are having this conversation in your presence, you won't be in any shape to correct them if they're wrong.

Hi, @A MyCOPDTeam Member, you can find many answers in google by simple query. In this case, I typed:

Define the medical term BE ABG

and received a variety of answers which summarized the answer as “base excess arterial (veinous) blood gas”.

Because that may not answer your question well enough, I have included a more technical explanation from one of the medical sites referenced in the definitions from the original query:

“Assessment of acid-base status depends on measurement of pH and partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) in a sample of arterial blood using electrodes housed in the blood gas analyzer, and two further calculated parameters, bicarbonate (HCO3-) concentration and base excess (BE), that are derived by calculation from measured pH and pCO2 values.

Knowledge of patient pH, pCO2 and HCO3- is sufficient to determine if acid-base status is normal (all three parameters within their respective normal range) and if it is not, will indicate which of four uncompensated acid-base disturbances (respiratory acidosis, respiratory alkalosis, metabolic acidosis and metabolic alkalosis) is present. Each of these uncompensated acid-base disturbances is characterized by a particular pattern of pH, pCO2 and HCO3- results, and depends on the notion that pCO2 is the respiratory component of acid-base balance and HCO3- is the (non-respiratory) metabolic component of acid-base balance.”

REF: https://acutecaretesting.org/en/journal-scans/u...

Back to layperson speak:

If you’ve ever had a fish tank or a swimming pool and had to test the pH balance of the water to ensure safety and health quality for its particular usage (keeping the fish alive or swimming safely without contaminants), it kind of follows that same logic for determining if you’re having oxygen saturation difficulties, and what particular area may be the cause for concern, if any measurement results show an imbalance. I hope this answer helped.

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A MyCOPDT...

Essentially, what she's saying is that when you have a build-up of CO2 in the body, the body adjusts the PH to keep things balanced. Here's a link to an explanation that may help: https://www.nursingtimes.net/clinical-archive/r... OR Tiny url https://tinyurl.com/5n79bnyc