A female client is in the first trimester of pregnancy. She has experienced approximately one week of severe nausea with frequent vomiting. Interpret the following ABG for this patient. pH 7.44, pCO2 30. HCO3 30.

Rationale: A. The pH is on the upper edge of normal, indicating alkalosis. The HCO₃ is elevated (30 mEq/L), pointing to a metabolic cause (consistent with vomiting, which leads to hydrogen ion loss). The low pCO₂ (30 mmHg) suggests respiratory compensation for the metabolic alkalosis. B. Respiratory acidosis is associated with low pH and high pCO₂, which are not present here. C. Respiratory alkalosis would show high pH and low pCO₂ with normal or low HCO₃ — not elevated HCO₃. D. Although the pH is within the normal range (7.35–7.45), the values of pCO₂ and HCO₃ are both abnormal, indicating compensated metabolic alkalosis, not a normal ABG.