Because an elevated PaCO₂increases ventilatory drive in normal subjects, the clinical presence of hypercapnia indicates which of the following?
I.inability of the stimulus to get to the muscles
II.weak or missing central nervous system response to the elevated PCO₂
III.pulmonary muscle fatigue

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Hypercapnia, which is an elevated level of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the blood, typically stimulates an increase in ventilation to expel the excess CO2. If hypercapnia is present clinically, it suggests a failure in the normal respiratory response mechanisms. This could be due to an inability of the stimulus (elevated CO2 levels) to reach the respiratory muscles (I), a weak or absent response from the central nervous system to the elevated CO2 levels (II), or respiratory muscle fatigue, which prevents effective ventilation despite the stimulus (III). Therefore, all three mechanisms could contribute to the presence of clinical hypercapnia.

Because an Elevated PaCO2 increases Ventilatory Drive in Normal Subjects

Because an Elevated PaCO₂increases Ventilatory Drive in Normal Subjects