NUR2755 / NUR 2755 MULTIDIMENSIONAL CARE IV / MDC 4 EXAM 2 REVIEW

(LATEST 2020 / 2021) RASMUSSEN

1. George Kent is a 54 year old widower with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

and was rushed to the emergency department with increasing shortness of breath, pyrexia, and

a productive cough with yellow-green sputum. He has difficulty in communicating because of his

inability to complete a sentence. One of his sons, Jacob, says he has been unwell for three days.

Upon examination, crackles and wheezes can be heard in the lower lobes; he has a tachycardia

and a bounding pulse. Measurement of arterial blood gas shows pH 7.3, PaCO2 68 mm Hg,

HCO3 28 mmol/L, and PaO2 60 mm Hg. How would you interpret this?

a) Respiratory Acidosis, Uncompensated

b) Respiratory Acidosis, Partially Compensated

c) Metabolic Alkalosis, Uncompensated

d) Metabolic Acidosis, Partially, Compensated

Question 1 Explanation:

The patient has respiratory acidosis (raised carbon dioxide) resulting from an acute exacerbation of

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, with partial compensation