Question: Mr. Holloway is postoperative from abdominal surge…

Question: Mr. Holloway is postoperative from abdominal surgery and has a nasogastric tube. The nurse notes the tube has drained a large amount of coffee-ground material (900 mL in 2 hours). He is not oriented to person, place, or time, and the provider orders STAT ABGs. Results show pH 7.57, PaCO2 37 mm Hg, HCO3 30 mEq/L. What is your assessment? 

Question: Darius Cole is a 54-year-old with a history of chr…

Question: Darius Cole is a 54-year-old with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who arrives to the emergency department with worsening shortness of breath, fever, and a productive cough with yellow-green sputum. He can only speak in short phrases. His daughter says he has been getting worse for 3 days. On exam, you hear crackles and wheezes in the lower lobes; he is tachycardic with a bounding pulse. ABGs show pH 7.3, PaCO2 68 mm Hg, HCO3 28 mmol/L, PaO2 60 mm Hg. How do you interpret these ABGs?