Mr. H is a 52-year-old male who presents to the emergency department. His left leg is in a cast, and he states that 1 week ago he was in an automobile crash and broke his upper leg. Since that time, he has had difficulty “getting around” and has mostly been lying on the couch watching television. On the evening of admission he noticed a sudden onset of dyspnea and chest pain. He denies having orthopnea, cough, hemoptysis, or wheezing. He smoked two packs of
Mr. H is a 52-year-old male who presents to the emergency department. His left leg is in a cast, and he states that 1 week ago he was in an automobile crash and broke his upper leg. Since that time, he has had difficulty “getting around” and has mostly been lying on the couch watching television. On the evening of admission he noticed a sudden onset of dyspnea and chest pain. He denies having orthopnea, cough, hemoptysis, or wheezing. He smoked two packs of cigarettes a day for 19 years but quit 3 years ago.
The ABG analysis of Mr. H suggests uncompensated respiratory alkalosis with mild hypoxemia, with base excess of -1 in her arterial side, whereas -4 in her venous side.
Part 1: Her actual arterial-venous oxygen content difference (Ca-vO2) is 5.31 mL/dL. (Normal range considered here is 3.5 to 5 mL/dL)
Part 2: Patient's actual oxygen extraction ratio (O2ER) was 29%. (Say normal range is 20-28%)
What is clinically happening to the patient?
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