The capnogram in the figure is indicative of which of the following conditions?
a. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
b. Cardiac arrest
c. Hyperventilation
d. Pulmonary embolism
ANS: A
Phase 3 becomes indistinguishable when physiological dead space increases, as in chronic ob-structive pulmonary disease (COPD), and causes the capnogram to appear as it does in the figure. A cardiac arrest would lower the graph line to zero. Hyperventilation will decrease the alveolar plateau, but its shape would remain the same as a normal capnogram. A pulmonary embolism would also cause a drop in the alveolar plateau.
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