NURS 5315 Final Exam with verified question and answers

NURS 5315 Final Exam with verified question and answers 1. A patient in respiratory distress and is breathing 33 breaths per minute. Which ABG value is consistent with the clinical scenario? PCO2 15 pH 7.30 pH 7.45 O2 sat 100%: A patient who is breathing 33 breaths per minute is hyperventilating and blowing off CO2; therefore the PCO2 level will be low. The patient will most likely experience a respiratory alkalosis and the two pH values provided are not consistent with this diagnosis. 2. A patient has a sodium level of 115 mEq/L and is disoriented and lethargic. Which pathological process best explains this patient's symptoms? a. The action potential has become hyperpolarized. b. Water has shifted into the neurons and caused them to swell. c. Water has shifted into the vascular space and dehydrated the neurons. d. The action potential has become hypopolarized.: b. The cause of neurologic symptoms associated with a sodium imbalance is directly related to fluid shifting into or out of the neurons of the brain. With a serum sodium of 115 mEq/L, water shifts into the neurons and causes them to swell. Hypernatremia causes water to shift out of the cell into the intravascular space and causes the neurons to become dehydrated. An alteration in the action potential is not seen with sodium imbalances. 3. A patient experiencing dehydration should be monitored for which elec- trolyte imbalance?