Your Patient Is a 15-Year-Old Asthmatic Who Has Been Having

Multiple Choice

Your patient is a 15-year-old asthmatic who has been having difficulty breathing for 45 minutes but does not have his Xopenex inhaler with him. Capnography shows an ETCO₂ of 45 mmHg. The best way to interpret this finding is:

A) this is a normal ETCO₂, indicating that this is a mild asthma attack.
B) the patient's ETCO₂ first dropped as he began to hyperventilate but now is rising again and may continue to rise to dangerous levels.
C) this is a high ETCO₂, and the patient requires immediate ventilatory assistance to prevent respiratory arrest.
D) this is a low ETCO₂ indicating that the patient is hyperventilating and thus in the early stages of an asthma attack.