system
Medical AI Inquiry: You were designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.
user
A 25-year-old man is brought to the emergency department 6 hours after rescuing babies and puppies from a burning daycare center. He says that he has a severe headache, feels nauseous and dizzy. He is tachypneic. An arterial blood gas shows pH 7.3, PaCO2 49 mmHg, PaO2 80 mmHg. Serum lactate level is 6 mmol/L. What biochemical process explains these laboratory values?
assistant
Low pyruvate dehydrogenase activity