Maya’s intern, Jake, was already there, holding a blood gas syringe. “Her saturations dropped to 82% on BiPAP. The team wants an ABG before deciding on intubation.”
Dr. Maya Shah, the senior fellow, rubbed her eyes and walked toward the nursing station. The chart on Bed 4 read: Female, 34, severe COVID-19 pneumonia, day 12 . Two words were underlined in red: clinical deterioration . abg tocil
Jake frowned. “So we intubate.”
“Respiratory acidosis. Acute on chronic? No—HCO₃ is normal. This is acute hypercapnic failure. Her muscles are exhausted,” Maya said. Maya’s intern, Jake, was already there, holding a
Maya nodded, palpating the patient’s radial artery. The woman—Letitia—was tachypneic, using accessory muscles, her eyes wide with air hunger. Maya inserted the needle, and dark red blood filled the heparinized syringe. Whew. One pass. Maya Shah, the senior fellow, rubbed her eyes