MCAT question #37

I cannot reveal my source, but I once again am privy to esoteric wisdom. The following is a question I have obtained from the Medical College Admission Exam (MCAT):


Your phone rings at 2 a.m. and you are awakened from a sound sleep.  The annoying nurse tells that Mrs. Ranger -- your infamous CO2 retainer -- is in respiratory distress with an Spo2 of 86 percent.  She says the RT made the decision to place the patient on a 40 percent air entrainment mask and that brought the SpO2 up to 88 percent.  The nurse says the CO2 on admission was 58. A prn ABG was obtained per protocol on the present O2 settings to reveal a CO2 of 65.  The patient is now breathing fine, and she's only calling you because hospital protocol instructs the doctor to be called when a patient requires an increase in FiO2.  Which of the following choices is the best statement to say to this nurse?

• a.  "Why do you call me for such B.S. at 2 a.m."
• b.  "Decrease the oxygen back to 2lpm."
• c.  "Decrease the oxygen back to 2lpm and tell RT to quit messing with oxygen on my CO2 retainers."
• d.  "You guys did a good job.  Try to keep the sat 88-92 with the lowest oxygen possible.  Call me anytime."
• e.  All of the above except d because RTs are a bunch of useless dummies