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A patient's ABG shows: pH 7.32. PaCO2 50 mmHg. HCO3 24 mEq/L. What is the correct diagnosis?

A.

Metabolic acidosis

B.

Respiratory acidosis

C.

Respiratory alkalosis

D.

Metabolic alkalosis

Answer and Explanation

The Correct Answer is B

A. Metabolic acidosis would be indicated by a low pH and a low HCO3, which is not present in this case since HCO3 is normal.  
B. The pH of 7.32 indicates acidemia, and a PaCO2 of 50 mmHg suggests respiratory acidosis as the body is retaining carbon dioxide, contributing to the low pH. The HCO3 is normal, indicating that there is no metabolic compensation occurring.  
C. Respiratory alkalosis would show a high pH and low PaCO2, which is not the case here.  
D. Metabolic alkalosis would present with a high pH and elevated HCO3, which is also not present in these ABG results.
 


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Related Questions

Correct Answer is D

Explanation

A. The conversion of RNA into DNA is a critical step in the HIV lifecycle, but it does not directly lead to opportunistic infections; instead, it allows the virus to integrate into the host’s genome.
B. Having reverse transcriptase enzyme is a characteristic of retroviruses like HIV that facilitates replication, but it does not cause opportunistic infections directly.
C. HIV containing a single strand of genetic material is a feature of its classification as a retrovirus but is not related to the risk of opportunistic infections.
D. The ability of HIV to target and destroy CD4 lymphocytes is the key reason for opportunistic infections. CD4 cells are crucial for the immune response, and their depletion leads to immunosuppression, making the client susceptible to infections that would not typically affect an individual with a healthy immune system.

Correct Answer is B

Explanation

A. In the assembly stage, other proteins and enzymes are involved in the packaging of viral components into new virions, not integrase.
B. During the integration stage, integrase is essential as it inserts the newly formed viral DNA into the host's genome, enabling the virus to utilize the host's cellular machinery for replication.
C. Integrase does not participate in the entry stage; this stage is facilitated by other proteins that aid in the fusion of the virus with the host cell membrane.
D. Integrase is not involved in reverse transcription; that process is facilitated by the enzyme reverse transcriptase, which converts viral RNA into DNA.

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