SAQ 1756 – Elderly patient found down with venous blood gas

Marked out of 11.00

An 87-year-old woman is found on the floor at home after not being seen for two days. Her venous blood gas is shown.

Classify the major acid-base disturbance present on the venous blood gas.

(Marked out of 1.0)

Venous blood gas	Result	Reference range
pH	7.16	7.35-7.45
pCO2	28 mmHg	35-45
HCO3	11 mmol/L	21-28
Na	148 mmol/L	134-146
K	6.9 mmol/L	3.4-5.0
Cl	111 mmol/L	98-108

/ 1

List four possible diagnoses that could produce this disturbance. For each, state a feature from history, examination or investigation that would suggest it.

(Marked out of 8.0)

/ 8

List two further abnormalities on the blood gas and the likely cause of each.

(Marked out of 2.0)

/ 2

Total Score: 0 / 11

Percentage: 0%