Question-137

A 30-year -old female presents to an Emergency Department with acute breathlessness. The forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) is 3.00 (predicted 4.00) litres and forced vital capacity (FVC) is 3.75 (predicted 5.00) litres.

Arterial blood gases show:
pH = 7.47
PaO2 = 95
PaCO2 = 32
HCO3 = 36 mEq/litre.
The most likely cause of the results is:


A. pulmonary thromboembolism.
B. bulimia.
C. acute asthma.
D. salicylate overdosage.
E. hyperventilation syndrome

B


Disorder pH Primary problem Compensation
Metabolic acidosis ↓ ↓ in HCO3- ↓ in PaCO2
Metabolic alkalosis ↑ ↑ in HCO3- ↑ in PaCO2Respiratory acidosis ↓ ↑ in PaCO2 ↑ in [HCO3-]
Respiratory alkalosis ↑ ↓ in PaCO2 ↓ in [HCO3-]


http://www.thoracic.org/clinical/critical-care/clinical-education/abgs.php
Bulimia