Correct!
1. Begin oxygen at 100% by mask
If you said ask if the SaO2 is calculated or measured, you are probably even more correct. The SaO2 was calculated from the PaO2, PaCO2 and the pH. When measured directly the SaO2 was noted to be 75% in the woman and 79% in man.
There are a couple of clues to the source of the patients’ confusion. The patients were brought in together which suggested a common source for the changes noted by the family. An extremely likely source for the confusion is poisoning, in this case by carbon monoxide (CO) (1). The source of the CO poisoning was later discovered to be a faulty space heater which they had been using to save money.
Which of the following is the most important mechanism by which CO lead to hypoxia? (click on the correct answer to be directed to the fourth of seven pages)