Practice Question
It's raining, it's pouring.The old man's snoring.He got into bedAnd bumped his headAnd couldn't get up in the morning.Head trauma is known to cause a specific acid/base imbalance, so an arterial blood gas is drawn.Which acid/base imbalance is the reason this old man could not get up in the morning?
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
Respiratory acidosis
Rationale:
🔷 Head injury can depress the brainstem respiratory drive, causing hypoventilation and CO₂ retention.
🔷 Snoring/airway obstruction while sleeping points to hypoventilation → ↑PaCO₂ → ↓pH.
🔷 CO₂ (carbonic acid) narcosis produces lethargy/somnolence, explaining “couldn’t get up.”
🔷 ABG pattern: ↓pH, ↑PaCO₂, with renal HCO₃⁻ compensation if time allows.
🔷 Rapid recognition is key: treat underlying ventilatory failure (airway, ventilation support).
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This question is from MID TERM EXAM-Pathophysiology - GCU which contains 50 questions.
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Answer Choices:
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Question Details
- Category: RN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: HESI Exam(s)
- Domain: 🏡HESI-Health Assessment
- Answer Choices: 4