A 24-year-old female with a history of anxiety is taken to the Emergency Department following an acute onset of shortness of breath. On examination the chest is clear to auscultation but the respiratory rate is raised at 40 breaths per minute. A diagnosis of hyperventilation secondary to anxiety is suspected. Which of the following arterial blood gas results (taken on room air) are consistent with this? A. pH = 7.56; pCO2 = 2.9 kPa; pO2 = 10.1 kPa B. pH = 7.24; pCO2 = 8.4 kPa; pO2 = 12.7 kPa C. pH = 7.34; pCO2 = 2.7 kPa; pO2 = 15.4 kPa D. pH = 7.54; pCO2 = 2.4 kPa; pO2 = 14.1 kPa E. pH = 7.54; pCO2 = 4.9 kPa; pO2 = 13.3 kPa
Posted on: Wed, 07 May 2014 19:17:27 +0000