The patient is being admitted to the emergency department with complaints of shortness of breath. The patient has had chronic lung disease for many years but still smokes. The nurse should
a. Administer high levels of oxygen.
b. Use oxygen cautiously in this patient.
c. Place a paper bag over the patient's face to allow rebreathing of carbon dioxide.
d. Administer CO2 via mask.
B
Because low levels of arterial O2 provide the stimulus that allows the patient to breathe, administration of high oxygen levels will be fatal for patients with chronic lung disease. Oxygen must be used cautiously in these types of patients. Patients with chronic lung disease have ongoing hypercarbia (elevated CO2 levels) and do not need to have CO2 administered or "rebreathed."
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