What laboratory finding is expected in a patient with pyloric stenosis?

In a patient with pyloric stenosis, the expected laboratory finding is elevated bicarbonate. This condition typically leads to prolonged vomiting, which results in the loss of gastric acid (hydrochloric acid). As a consequence, the patient can develop a metabolic alkalosis due to the increased bicarbonate levels.

When the stomach's acidic contents are expelled through vomiting, the body compensates for this loss of acid by retaining bicarbonate, leading to alkaline blood pH levels. Therefore, elevated bicarbonate levels in conjunction with typical clinical presentation and laboratory findings such as hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis are characteristic of this condition. This metabolic derangement can contribute to symptoms such as lethargy, irritability, and poor feeding due to electrolyte imbalances.