A 36-year-old female patient with a history of asthma is adm…
A 36-year-old female patient with a history of asthma is admitted to the ICU from the emergency department. Her respirations are 30, very labored, with accessory muscle use and bilateral inspiratory and expiratory wheezing. There is bilateral hyperresonance during chest percussion. A blood gas taken in the ICU after 1 hour of continuous aerosolized albuterol (15 mg) reveals: pH 7.38, partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) 42 mm Hg, partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) 53 mm Hg, oxygen saturation (SaO2) 88%, bicarbonate (HCO) 25 mEq/L with nasal cannula 6 L/min. The patient is 5’5″ and weighs 135 lb. The most appropriate action at this time is which of the following?