A Patient Admitted with Probable Emphysema Is Scheduled for Diagnostic

question 17

Multiple Choice

A patient admitted with probable emphysema is scheduled for diagnostic tests. Which test would assess the patient's acid-base balance?

• A) Bronchoscopy
• B) Sputum studies
• C) Pulse oximetry
• D) Arterial blood gases (ABGs)

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Definitions:

Threshold Stimulus

Stimulus resulting in a local potential just large enough to reach threshold and produce an action potential.

All-Or-None Contraction

A principle stating that a nerve or muscle fiber responds completely or not at all to a stimulus once the stimulus reaches a threshold value.

Muscle Fiber

A single, elongated muscle cell that can contract in response to stimulation.

Motor Unit

Single neuron and the muscle fibers it innervates.