A nurse is collecting data from a client who is experiencing an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Which of the following findings should the nurse expect?

A. PaO2 95 mm Hg: Normal arterial oxygen tension; clients in acute COPD exacerbation typically have lower PaO₂. B. PaCO2 32 mm Hg: Low PaCO₂ (respiratory alkalosis) - not expected in an acute COPD exacerbation where hypoventilation/CO₂ retention occurs. C. PaCO2 54 mm Hg: Elevated PaCO₂ - expected in acute COPD exacerbation due to impaired ventilation and CO₂ retention. D. PaO2 85 mm Hg: Mildly decreased PaO₂ but still near-normal; more typical finding is a significantly reduced PaO₂ with concurrent elevated PaCO₂.