Question

A 30-year-old woman overdosed on pain pills and is unresponsive. She is breathing at a rate of 6 breaths/min with shallow depth. Left untreated, she will develop:

A) hypocarbia and acidosis.
B) hypercarbia and alkalosis.
C) hypocarbia and alkalosis.
D) hypercarbia and acidosis.

Answer 1

A 30-year-old woman who has overdosed on pain pills and is unresponsive with shallow, slow breathing is at risk of developing hypercarbia and acidosis (D).

Step-by-step explanation:

A 30-year-old woman who has overdosed on pain pills and is unresponsive with shallow, slow breathing is at risk of developing hypercarbia and acidosis (D).

Hypercarbia refers to abnormally high levels of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the blood, which occurs when the body is not effectively removing CO₂ through respiration. Acidosis is a condition where the blood becomes too acidic due to the accumulation of carbonic acid (H₂CO₃).

In this case, the woman's slow and shallow breathing indicates inadequate removal of CO₂, leading to the build-up of CO₂ and the development of hypercarbia. Additionally, the presence of acidosis can be expected due to the accumulation of carbonic acid resulting from the high CO₂ levels.