A new father begins to hyperventilate as his baby is about to be born; he becomes light headed.The nurse instructs him to breathe into the paper bag until his breathing slows down.When he feels better he asks the nurse why using the paper bag helped him.What is the nurse's best response? "Breathing into the paper bag allowed you to
A) Rebreathe carbon dioxide to correct respiratory alkalosis"
B) Reduce carbon dioxide to correct respiratory acidosis"
C) Rebreathe carbon dioxide to correct metabolic alkalosis"
D) Reduce carbon dioxide to correct metabolic acidosis"

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When the father used the paper bag,he rebreathed the carbon dioxide he was expelling to maintain adequate carbon dioxide levels and prevent or correct respiratory alkalosis.Rebreathing carbon dioxide would increase carbon dioxide levels and increase pH; it would not correct respiratory acidosis.The man's problem is not a metabolic one; neither of the statements ending in "to correct metabolic alkalosis" is accurate.

A New Father Begins to Hyperventilate as His Baby Is