A 34-Year-Old Man Is Brought to the Emergency Department with New-Onset

question 170

Multiple Choice

A 34-year-old man is brought to the emergency department with new-onset confusion and lethargy.  Laboratory studies, including an arterial blood gas, are obtained.  The changes in his blood gas parameters are shown in the graph below.  Point A represents these parameters at the patient's physiologic baseline, and point B indicates his state on arrival in the emergency department. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

• A)Metabolic acidosis
• B)Metabolic alkalosis
• C)Respiratory acidosis
• D)Respiratory alkalosis

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Definitions:

Market Price

The current price at which a good or service can be bought or sold in a particular market, determined by supply and demand.

Total Revenue

The total income received by a company from its sales of goods or services, without any deductions.

Cost Curves

Graphical representations showing how the cost to produce a given level of output changes with the amount of output.

Price-Taker Industry

An industry in which individual companies have no control over the market price of their product; they must "take" the market price as given.