Premature ventricular contractions
A 62 year old male, weighs 256 pounds and is 73 inches tall. The patient has a history of Congestive Heart Failure and has been placed on a non-rebreathing mask at 15 L/min. Physical assessment reveals that the patient is alert and oriented but anxious and diaphoretic. Vital signs are as
follows: heartbeat is 142/bpm, blood pressure is 105/86 mm hg, oral temp is 98.6 and respiratory rate is 28 breaths/min, shallow and labored. Breaths sounds reveal bilateral crackles/coarse. The arterial blood gas on the non-rebreather mask is as follows: P.H. 7.24, PaCO2 51 mm Hg, PaO2 42 mm Hg, and HCO3 23 mEq/L. The patient’s electrocardiogram shows a widened depolarization of ventricles(QRS) complex with occasional premature ventricular contractions.
