Four hours after mechanical ventilation is initiated for a p…
Four hours after mechanical ventilation is initiated for a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the patient’s arterial blood gas (ABG) results include a pH of 7.50, PaO2 of 90 mm Hg, PaCO2 of 29 mm Hg, and HCO3– of 23 mEq/L (23 mmol/L). The nurse will anticipate the need to