Gas Goblin: Case #23
The Fever That Broke the Balance
A 71-year-old man with severe COPD presents with fever, hypotension and altered mentation. He is known to chronically run high CO₂.
- ABG
- pH: 7.18 (7.35 – 7.45)
- pO₂: 58 mmHg (75 – 100)
- pCO₂: 70 mmHg (35 – 45)
- HCO₃⁻: 24 mmol/L (22 – 26)
- BE: -4 mmol/L (-3 – 3)
- SaO₂: 88 % (94 – 100)
- Na⁺: 140 mmol/L (135 – 145)
- K⁺: 4.8 mmol/L (3.5 – 5.5)
- Cl: 104 mmol/L (95 – 110)
- Ca: 1.16 mmol/L (1.12 – 1.3)
- Lactate: 7 mmol/L
- Glucose: 8 mmol/L (4 – 8)
- Urea: 16 mmol/L
- Creatinine: 140 μmol/L
- Osmolarity: 305 mOsm/L
- COHb: 1 % (0.2 – 2)
- MetHb: 1 %
- fiO2: 0.4
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