Assignment Task:
An adult patient is admitted to the ICU with severe pancreatitis. During the hospital stay, they develop sudden-onset severe dyspnea and hypoxemia requiring mechanical ventilation. Bilateral pulmonary infiltrates are seen on chest X-ray, and lab results show a decreased PaO2/FiO2 ratio. An echocardiogram is not indicative of heart failure. Which of the following best describes the primary mechanism behind refractory hypoxemia seen in this condition?
Group of answer choices
- Mismatch of ventilation and perfusion (V/Q mismatch)
- Central nervous system depression
- Decreased cardiac output
- Right-to-left cardiac shunt