A 60 kg patient is admitted to a general medical patient uni…
A 60 kg patient is admitted to a general medical patient unit with myasthenia gravis. BS are clear. VS are f-18 b/min, HR 90 bpm, BP 122/83 mmHg. The patient’s ABG’s on RA are 7.39/41/89/24/97%. The patient is alert and complains of difficulty swallowing and moving his shoulders and arms. The physician orders Q4 NIF and FVC. During the next 24 hours, the vital signs and ABG’s remain unchanged. The NIF has dropped from an initial value of -60 cmH20 to -19 cmH20. The FVC has dropped from 3.0L to 0.75 L. The patient appears to have greater accessory muscle usage. What is the primary indication that this patient may require ventilatory support?
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