An adult patient with shortness of breath is admitted to the emergency department. An ABG has been collected and shows the following results:

The first thing we must do with this question is interpret the ABG results. By doing so, we see that the patient is in acute respiratory alkalosis due to hyperventilation.

So we can immediately see that the patient is not hypoventilating, nor are they in impending respiratory failure. Also, we already determined that there is a respiratory issue, not a metabolic issue, so we can rule that one out as well.

Since the PaO2 is below 60, this means that the patient is hypoxemic, so their oxygenation status is our primary concern. It’s what’s causing the patient to hyperventilate and feel shortness of breath.

So by using what we know about ABG interpretation, as well as the process of elimination, we can determine that the correct answer has to be C.

The correct answer is: C. The primary concern is hypoxemia