Question

1. An Emergency Department resident has asked the respiratory therapist to evaluate a patient brought in by a family member after being found unresponsive and lying on the bathroom floor. The male patient is 5'9" and weighs 95 kg. The following data is collected:

A) Spontaneous VT: 300 mL
B) Spontaneous MV: 1.8 L/min
C) Respiratory rate: 6/min
D) ABG on RA: 7.31 / 58 / 54

Answer 1

The question concerns a patient's respiratory assessment in the field of medicine, indicating hypoventilation and respiratory acidosis. Key parameters include low tidal volume, minute ventilation, and respiratory rate, along with abnormal ABG values.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question involves evaluating a patient using respiratory parameters and arterial blood gas (ABG) results. The provided data indicates that the patient has a spontaneous tidal volume (VT) of 300 mL and a spontaneous minute ventilation (MV) of 1.8 L/min, which are both lower than the normal ranges. A respiratory rate of 6/min is significantly below the normal rate of 12-15 breaths/minute. The ABG results show a pH of 7.31, partial pressure of CO2 (PaCO2) of 58 mm Hg, and partial pressure of O2 (PaO2) of 54 mm Hg, indicating respiratory acidosis and hypoxemia.

Understanding respiratory volumes like tidal volume (TV), inspiratory reserve volume (IRV), expiratory reserve volume (ERV), and residual volume (RV) is crucial in assessing a patient's respiratory health. Respiratory volumes are dependent on a variety of factors and assessing these can provide important clues about a person's respiratory health. The data collected on this patient suggests inadequate ventilation (hypoventilation).