Exhibit: Three Gases and a Chemistry Panel
The exhibit frame itself, an original monospace chart interface with a tab row whose active tab joins the body through a broken rule, a fixed-width results grid with hard-aligned tabular figures, flag glyphs in the left margin of abnormal rows, and the 1600 chemistry column separated by a heavy vertical rule.
`LABS` · VITALS · MAR · NOTES · 4 MIN
VITALS 1600: heart rate 112, respirations 28 and deep, blood pressure 104/62, temperature 98.4 °F. MAR last administration 0600. NOTES admitted for observation, 47-year-old adult, alert and oriented at 0800.
LABS · arterial blood gases
| 0800 | 1200 | 1600 | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pH | 7.27 ⚑ | 7.32 ⚑ | 7.25 ⚑ | 7.35–7.45 |
| PaCO₂ | 38 | 30 ⚑ | 26 ⚑ | 35–45 mm Hg |
| PaO₂ | 92 | 96 | 98 | 80–100 mm Hg |
| HCO₃⁻ | 17 ⚑ | 15 ⚑ | 11 ⚑ | 22–26 mEq/L |
| O₂ saturation | 96 % | 97 % | 97 % | 95–100 % |
LABS · chemistry, 1600 draw only
| Analyte | Result | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Sodium | 138 | 135–145 mEq/L |
| Chloride | 100 | 98–106 mEq/L |
| Bicarbonate | 11 ⚑ | 22–26 mEq/L |
| Potassium | 5.2 ⚑ | 3.5–5.0 mEq/L |
| Glucose | 486 CRITICAL | 70–99 mg/dL fasting |
| Creatinine | 1.8 ⚑ | 0.6–1.2 mg/dL |
Gap rule: anion gap equals sodium minus the sum of chloride and bicarbonate. Normal 8 to 12 mEq/L.
Your tasks, four minutes
- Classify each of the three gases.
- State the compensation status of each.
- Compute the anion gap at 1600 and say in one sentence what it changes.
Answer band
- ____________________________________________
- ____________________________________________
- ____________________________________________
Margin notethe gap is the question the pH cannot answer.
→ BOOK 01 · P36 for the four-step method, which this page times rather than teaches. → BOOK 06 · P4 for the arithmetic shown as a worked calculation. Keyed answers on page 13.
Takeawaya gas is classified in four values, and the gap tells you whether the story is complete.
Reference ranges vary between institutions and reference laboratories. Follow local protocol.