Question

In: Nursing

Mt. Denali, Alaska elevation 17,660 ft. The climbers slowly ascended the icy cliff in the near...

Mt. Denali, Alaska elevation 17,660 ft. The climbers slowly ascended the icy cliff in the near darkness of 4 a.m., carefully avoiding the steep crevasses that fell off sharply to either side. Several times each hour, the lead climber Tom would call out "Everyone okay?" They had stopped replying long ago, too exhausted by the supreme effort of simply placing each foot in the proper direction. Three hours into a 12+ hour climbing day, only labored breathing and the crunch of ice under crampons permeated the silence. Emily, a Registered Nurse and the only woman on the six-person expedition team, was third in line, following her friend Mark, the least experienced climber of the group. For the last couple of days, Mark had been coughing heavily, and all morning had been slowing up, causing a backlog behind them and prompting several "everyone okay"'s from Tom. Knowing Mark's competitive spirit, Emily was hesitant to urge him to pick up the pace, and when he pulled up to rest on a protected ledge, Emily motioned to the other climbers to pass on by. Her head was pounding anyway, and she rationalized she could use the break.

"You okay?" Emily asked.

"Yeah....I just....can't seem to....catch my breath," gasped Mark.

"Just rest a minute. There's no rush, Mark. Take your time....slow, deep breaths."

Tom appeared from the upper trail. "What's up?"

"Mark's having a little trouble catching his breath." Emily was getting worried.

Tom looked sharply at her. "How much trouble?"

"Quite a bit, I think." Emily looked over at Mark, whose breathing didn't appear eased by the rest stop, and then back at Tom. "I think we should get him down to a lower altitude. Quickly."

Tom nodded. "I'll get the others."

As they helped guide Mark down the steep trail, Mark's breathing became increasingly labored and was loud enough to worry Emily.

"Geez, do we sound like that?" gasped one of the other climbers. "I mean, I'm out of breath, too, but he sounds horrible!"

"No, we're not that bad. Remember, that's why we spent the prep month at 15,000 feet. Mark was with us, so he experienced the same physiological changes we did. This," Emily nodded at Mark, "is some sort of problem."

Mark deteriorated rapidly and lost consciousness by the time the group reached the lower camp. The urgency of the situation strengthened the tired legs of the climbers as they carried Mark the final yards towards camp. Emily had run ahead to call for support help, and the group was told an airlift was on its way and would be there within the hour. The camp's medical tent had some basic supplies and a resident paramedic, and he and Emily went to work stabilizing Mark with oxygen and a Gammow bag (a pressurization bag).

90 Minutes Later, Denali Valley Hospital

"We have a 28-year-old white male, unresponsive, no prior history of pulmonary disease, who became unconscious around 15,000 feet after hiking to 17,000 feet earlier today. His friends say he was having severe breathing difficulty prior to losing consciousness...." As the paramedic droned on, Emily looked around for the nearest phone so she could locate Mark's family in case this was as serious as it looked.

1. How would the oxygen and Gammow bag help Mark?

2. Are some of the lab normal either below or above normal range as a normal result of the month spent at high elevation? Explain.

3. Which lab values appear to represent the most serious problem Mark is having? Is his situation life-threatening?

4. Compare the results of Alveolar Oxygen Tension to Arterial Oxygen levels. What might cause this type of discrepancy?

5. Come up with a possible diagnosis for Mark’s condition. What data are you using to come to this conclusion?

Here are the results of his blood and pulmonary tests.

The following tables summarize the findings of the Denali Valley Hospital Medical Team:

BLOOD LEVELS

MARK'S

NORMAL

Arterial Oxygen

52 Torr

80-100 Torr

Arterial Carbon Dioxide

30 Torr

35-45 Torr

Arterial pH

7.23

7.38-7.44

Hematocrit

58%

42-52%

Arterial glucose

102 mg/100ml

60-110 mg/100ml

Urea Nitrogen (BUN)

12 M

7-14 M

Creatinine

1.1 mg/100ml

1-1.5 mg/100ml

Potassium

4.0 meq/L

3.5-5.0 meq/L

Sodium

145 meq/L

136-145 meq/L

Bicarbonate

18 meq/L

20-24 meq/L

Chloride

100 meq/L

98-106 meq/L

No prescription medications or other pharmacological agents were found.

PULMONARY FUNCTION TESTS

Inspired Oxygen Tension

147 Torr

150 Torr

Vapor Pressure

45 Torr

47 Torr

Alveolar Oxygen

110 Torr

98-104 Torr

RQ

0.66

0.78-0.82 Torr

Tidal Volume

0.4 L

0.5 L

HEART RATE: 88 bpm (normal: 60-90 bpm) BLOOD PRESSURE: 105/60 (normal: 110-120/60-80 mm Hg)

Solutions

Expert Solution

1] Use of oxygen and gammow bag helps to increase the level of oxygen in Mark. It increases the atmospheric pressure which is greater than the intra pulmonary pressure. It also increases air entry inside the lungs which in turn decreases strenous breathing for Mark.

2] as mention in the lab values some are normal and few are below and increased. As people started living in high altitudes, the atmospheric pressure is greater than the pulmonary pressures leading to less oxygen binding ability to hemoglobin due to inadequate oxygen in atmosphere and hence increase affinity of RBC for oxygen.

Due to less oxygen, they will easily fatigued

After staying for the days, body will learn to increase the production of erythrocytes which in turn increases oxygen resulting in more RBC's

5] The probable diagnosis which is life threatening in mountain sickness is High Altitude Pulmonary Edema, it may be possible for Mark as he has breathlessness which increases subsequently landed with increased coughing.


Related Solutions

Of those mountain climbers who attempt Mt. McKinley, only 65% reach the summit. In a random...
Of those mountain climbers who attempt Mt. McKinley, only 65% reach the summit. In a random sample of 16 mountain climbers who are going to attempt Mt. McKinley, what is the probability of each of the following? (HINT: Use the binomial distribution table.) (a) All 16 reach the summit. __________________________ (b) At least 10 reach the summit. __________________________ (c) No more than 12 reach the summit. __________________________ (d) From 9 to 12 reach the summit, including 9 and 12. __________________________
A −2.60% grade meets a +1.95% grade at station 44+25 and elevation 3386.96 ft, 315-ft curve,...
A −2.60% grade meets a +1.95% grade at station 44+25 and elevation 3386.96 ft, 315-ft curve, stakeout at half stations. Part A Tabulate station elevations for an equal-tangent parabolic curve for the data given above. Express your answers, separated by commas, to six significant figures from lowest to highest elevation. ftft, ftft, ftft, ftft, ftft, ftft, ftft, ftft, ftft, ftft SubmitRequest Answer Provide Feedback
The normal boiling point for acetone is 56.5°C. At an elevation of 5700 ft, the atmospheric...
The normal boiling point for acetone is 56.5°C. At an elevation of 5700 ft, the atmospheric pressure is 623 torr. What would be the boiling point of acetone (ΔHvap = 32.0 kJ/mol) at this elevation? _____ °C What would be the vapor pressure of acetone at 25.0°C at this elevation? _____ torr
The temperature of the atmosphere near the Earth's surface (up to an elevation of 10 km)...
The temperature of the atmosphere near the Earth's surface (up to an elevation of 10 km) can be approximated with T(z) = 288 – 0.0065z °K. Determine the Pressure at an elevation of 3000 m, if it is at z = 0, P = 101 kPa
Water flows at a rate of 30 ft3/s from a reservoir with elevation 45 ft to...
Water flows at a rate of 30 ft3/s from a reservoir with elevation 45 ft to a lower one with elevation 0 ft through a pipe Of length 1800 ft with bends, elbows, entrances and exits contributing a total of minor losses Of ?K = 2.5. The pipe has a roughness e = 0.0005ft. -Determine the pipe diameter needed. -How important are minor losses? -Plot the EGL.
A car is traveling at 20 mi/h on good, dry pavement at 5000 ft elevation. The...
A car is traveling at 20 mi/h on good, dry pavement at 5000 ft elevation. The front-wheel-drive car has a drag coefficient of 0.30, a frontal area of 20 ft2 and a weight of 2500 lb. The wheelbase is 110 inches and the center of gravity is 20 inches from the ground, 50 inches behind the front axle. The engine is producing 95 ft-lb of torque and is in a gear that gives an overall gear reduction ratio of 4.5....
A 0% grade meets a 3% grade at station 24+00.00 and an elevation of 372.15 ft....
A 0% grade meets a 3% grade at station 24+00.00 and an elevation of 372.15 ft. For a passing sight distance of 2,000 ft, find the following: a. Minimum length of the vertical curve that allows for passing using the minimum curve length equations. b. Calculate the elevation of the middle point of the curve. c. Calculate the elevation of the road at station 23+00.00.
Problem 10.19 The typical atmospheric pressure on top of Mt. Everest (29,028 ft) is about 265...
Problem 10.19 The typical atmospheric pressure on top of Mt. Everest (29,028 ft) is about 265 torr. Convert this pressure to Part A atm 760   atm   SubmitMy AnswersGive Up Incorrect; Try Again Part B mmHg 1   mmHg   SubmitMy AnswersGive Up Incorrect; Try Again Part C pascals 3.53×104   Pa   SubmitMy AnswersGive Up Correct Significant Figures Feedback: Your answer 3.52⋅104 = 3.52×104 Pa was either rounded differently or used a different number of significant figures than required for this part. Part D...
Bob has plans to camp overnight near Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the northeast, in...
Bob has plans to camp overnight near Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the northeast, in January. Temperatures in that part of the White Mountains, routinely are well below zero, without wind chill. Bob knows he will need a sleeping bag, but has limited funds to purchase a sleeping bag. In August he travels to LL Bean, Freeport, Maine to purchase a sleeping bag. Bob makes his way to the bag section and without consulting with store employees, selects a...
6 A car is traveling at 20 mi/h on good, dry pavement at 5000 ft elevation....
6 A car is traveling at 20 mi/h on good, dry pavement at 5000 ft elevation. The front-wheel-drive car has a drag coefficient of 0.30, a frontal area of 20 ft2 and a weight of 2500 lb. The wheelbase is 110 inches and the center of gravity is 20 inches from the ground, 50 inches behind the front axle. The engine is producing 95 ft-lb of torque and is in a gear that gives an overall gear reduction ratio of...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT