A 52-Year-Old Man Is Brought to the Emergency Department After

question 158

Multiple Choice

A 52-year-old man is brought to the emergency department after being found unresponsive on the street.  The patient's medical history is unknown.  Temperature is 36.2 C (97.2 F) , blood pressure is 108/62 mm Hg, and pulse is 72/min.  On physical examination, he is unresponsive to verbal and tactile stimuli but moans to deep sternal rub.  An arterial blood gas analysis on room air shows a partial pressure of oxygen of 60 mm Hg.  The partial pressure of oxygen in his alveoli is calculated to be 68 mm Hg.  Which of the following is the most likely cause of this patient's symptoms?

• A)Alveolar hypoventilation
• B)Dead space ventilation
• C)Diffusion impairment
• D)Intrapulmonary shunt
• E)Left-to-right shunt

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Definitions:

Office Buildings

Structures designed and used to house the operations of businesses, government agencies, and professional services, often comprising multiple floors and equipped with office-specific facilities.

Parallel Circuit

A type of electrical circuit in which multiple paths for current flow are present, allowing electrical components to operate independently of each other.

Total Resistance

The overall opposition to electric current flow in a circuit, combining the effects of all individual resistors in series and parallel arrangements.

Three Branch

In electrical circuits, a term referring to a system or schematic that divides into three distinct paths or branches.