Because an elevated PaCO₂increases ventilatory drive in normal subjects, the clinical presence of hypercapnia indicates which of the following?
1) Inability of the stimulus to get to the muscles
2) Weak or missing central nervous system response to the elevated PCO₂
3) 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 that there may be a failure in the normal response mechanisms. This could be due to an inability of the stimulus (high CO2 levels) to reach the muscles responsible for breathing (1), a weak or absent response from the central nervous system to the elevated CO2 levels (2), or fatigue of the respiratory muscles (3), preventing effective ventilation despite the stimulus.

Because an Elevated PaCO2 increases Ventilatory Drive in Normal Subjects

Because an Elevated PaCO₂increases Ventilatory Drive in Normal Subjects