A patient with an opiate drug overdose is unconscious and has the following ABG results on room air: pH 7.20; P_aCO₂ 88 mm Hg; P_aO₂ 42 mm Hg; HCO₃⁻ 25 mEq/L.Which of the following best describes this patient's condition?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A drug overdose will affect the patient's central nervous system,knocking out the patient's respiratory center.This will cause an increase in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the arteries (P_aCO₂).The alveolar hypoventilation is causing the low partial pressure of oxygen (P_aO₂).If this was a chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure the patient's bicarbonate level would be elevated above the normal level.

A Patient with an Opiate Drug Overdose Is Unconscious and Has