Your patient is a 15-year-old asthmatic who has been having difficulty breathing for 45 minutes, but does not have his Xopenex inhaler with him. Capnography shows an ETCO2 of 45 mmHg. What is the best way to interpret this finding?
A) This is a normal ETCO2, indicating that this is a mild asthma attack.
B) The patient's ETCO2 first dropped as he began to hyperventilate but now is rising again and may continue to rise to dangerous levels.
C) This is a high ETCO2, and the patient requires immediate ventilatory assistance to prevent respiratory arrest.
D) This is a low ETCO2, indicating that the patient is hyperventilating, and thus in the early stages of an asthma attack.
B
You might also like to view...
What branch of law is concerned with the recognition and enforcement of the rights and duties of private individuals and organizations?
a. Administrative b. Civil c. Criminal d. Common
Two different patients both have hemoglobins in the 5.0 to 6.0 g/dL range. One has pallor, fatigue, and headaches, whereas the other is experiencing life-threatening shock. Which of the following is probably the major difference between the two patients?
a. The morphologic classification of the anemia b. Whether other cell lines (platelets or white cells) are also involved c. The patient's sex d. How quickly the anemia developed
If the QRS in leads I and aVF are both positive, the axis is
A) normal. B) right axis deviation. C) left axis deviation. D) indeterminate axis.
Which of the following definitions is correct for the junctional epithelium?
A) Connective tissue structure involved in the attachment of the gingiva to the tooth B) Connective tissue that functions to hold the gingiva against the tooth and bone C) Epithelial tissue contributing to the adherence of the soft tissue to the tooth D) Epithelial tissue functioning to protect the underlying oral structures and acting as a mechanical barrier