Question

Your patient has several cracked ribs from a car accident, which of these would you expect from his or her blood gases?

1) Elevated PCO₂ and decreased pH
2) Elevated PCO₂ and increased pH
3) Decreased PCO₂ and decreased pH
4) Decreased PCO₂ and increased pH

Answer 1

A patient with cracked ribs from a car accident would likely exhibit elevated PCO₂ and decreased pH in their blood gases, indicating respiratory acidosis due to impaired breathing.

Step-by-step explanation:

The patient with several cracked ribs from a car accident is likely to have a respiratory issue affecting blood gas composition. In cases of respiratory problems such as broken ribs impeding normal breathing, we typically see a blood gas pattern indicative of respiratory acidosis, which is characterized by elevated PCO₂ (partial pressure of carbon dioxide) and decreased pH levels in the blood. Therefore, the expected blood gases would show option 1) Elevated PCO₂ and decreased pH. This occurs because the patient's ability to expel CO₂ through the lungs is compromised, leading to the accumulation of CO₂ in the blood, which in turn forms carbonic acid, thereby lowering the pH.