Question

You are on scene with a 16-year-old female who is hyperventilating at a rate of 70. She has a history of anxiety and is very worked up. Vitals are as follows: BP 152/94, pulse 136 strong and regular, SPO2 99% room air, ETCO2 of 15mmHg.What will soon happen to this patient if she continues to breathe at a respiratory rate of 70?

Answer 1

If the patient is hyperventilating at a rate of 70, then she might be suffering from Respiratory Alkalosis. In respiratory alkalosis, the PH of the blood gets interrupted due to hyperventilation of alveoli.

This happens if the person is breathing too fast or deep which drops the carbon dioxide level and increases the PH making the blood very alkaline. So, the patient needs to calm down and distract herself from the thing that is making her anxious.