12th January 2024

A 45-year-old female with known COPD presents to A & E with 2-day history of progressive shortness of breath.

A 45-year-old female with known COPD presents to A & E with 2-day history of progressive shortness of breath. She now experiences shortness of breath even at rest and reports little relief of her symptoms with the use of regular inhalers. On examination, respiratory rate is 18breaths/min and oxygen saturation on room air is 86%. She has few expiratory wheezes and bilateral chest crepitations. Result of arterial blood gas (ABG) measurement is as follows:

Ph 7.2

PaO2 7.4kPa

PaCO2 8kPa

HCO3 20

On the basis of ABG, which of the following best describes this patient’s condition:

Select the SINGLE most appropriate option from the list below. Select ONE option only.