You Are Working in the ED, Caring for a 55-Year-Old

question 62

Multiple Choice

You are working in the ED, caring for a 55-year-old female patient with a long history of COPD. She is more short of breath today than usual, and states that she has an increased cough. She has a tympanic temperature of 99.8°F. You have drawn arterial blood gases with the patient on room air; when the report comes back, it shows that the patient has a PaO₂ of 92 mmHg. Which of the following is most likely?

• A) You have inadvertently drawn a venous sample.
• B) The patient is critically hypoxic and requires assisted ventilation.
• C) This is the typical value for this patient.
• D) The lab performed the test incorrectly.

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Definitions:

Second Best

Refers to a situation wherein the optimal condition cannot be achieved, and the best possible alternative under the given restrictions is adopted.

Previously Existing Distortions

Inefficiencies or imperfections already present in a market before a new policy or change was implemented.

Distortionary Tax

A tax that causes people to alter their behavior and economic decisions from what they would have chosen in the absence of the tax.

Principle of Neutrality

The concept that certain measures, such as fiscal policies, should be designed to have a neutral effect on economic choices and competition.