- At a construction site, a hole caved in and buried a
workman up to his shoulders in wet sand. The fore-
man told the trapped man that a crane would be
there in 20 minutes to pull him out, but another
worker said they couldn’t wait, and had to dig now.
He was right. Why is this a life-threatening emer-
gency? - A patient’s blood pH is 7.34, and his respirations
are 32 per minute. What acid–base situation is this
patient in? State your reasoning step-by-step.- Mrs. D is in the emergency room because of severe
abdominal pain that may be appendicitis. Her
blood pH is 7.47 and her respirations are 34 per
minute. What acid–base situation is Mrs. D in?
State your reasoning step-by-step.
366 The Respiratory System