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USMLE
Respiratory Physiology
A 56-year-old man presents to the Emergency Department with severe abdominal pain and a temperature of 103°F. The patient is in severe respiratory distress. Moderate amounts of pulmonary edema fluid are aspirated during suctioning. The patient is placed on a ventilator with an FIO2 of 0.5 and an arterial blood gas sample reveals a PO2 of 160 mmHg and a PCO2 of 40 mmHg. His alveolar oxygen tension, at a barometric pressure of 747 mmHg and a respiratory exchange ratio (R) of 0.8, is approximately what?
Explanation
ExplanationThe alveolar oxygen tension is calculated using the modified alveolar gas equation: PAO2 = PIO2 – PaCO2/R. PAO2 = [0.5 × (747 – 47 mmHg)] – 40 mmHg/0.8 PAO2 = 350 mmHg – 50 mmHg = 300 mmHg
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