Hopefully some translations can help:
There has been talk that ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) and ARB (aldosterone receptor blocker) inhibitors have detrimental effects to COVID+ patients. These two drugs are used to treat high blood pressure (or as the writer above notes HTN - hypertension). However, ACE inhibitors can also have effects the the blood vessels of the lungs and as such are often contraindicated in patients with other pulmonary issues such as COPD, asthma, etc. Some have suggested these drugs may also effect viral entry into the cell but thats a bit above my pay-grade at the moment. Discussion about the topic can be found here
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2763803
@Wetworks is saying that he is seeing patients taking these medications who show no outward signs of respiratory distress (difficulty breathing), even when the "sats" (oxygen saturation) is in the 60s (normal is 90+). He goes on to explain that seeing patients with low pCO2, partial pressure of carbon dioxide on VBGs (venous blood gases) who are not hyperventilating (over breathing). Many gasses, most importantly oxygen and carbon dioxide exist in a variety of forms in our blood. We use VBGs to measure these values and assess how good or bad a job the lungs are doing on getting oxygen into your blood and CO2 out. Our various tissues require oxygen to function and in the process create CO2 as a byproduct. All these gases are very delicately balance as they (particularly CO2 in the form of bicarbonate) can have drastic effects on the pH of the blood. So what he is saying is he is seeing patients with very low levels of CO2 in the blood, creating what is called a respiratory alkylosis (making the blood too basic). This is often seen in patients are are breathing too much, and are essentially blowing off too much CO2. However, these patient dont seem to actually be hyperventilating - which is sort of mismatched.
Hope that helps!
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