Review Question - QID 109174

A 71-year-old man arrives to the emergency room appearing cyanotic and having weak, shallow respirations. He is brought in by his home care nurse, who reports that the patient has a history of myasthenia gravis and frequent urinary tract infections. The patient was in his normal state of health until 5 days ago when he developed a urinary tract infection. He was receiving gentamicin infusions for his infections. This morning, he experienced poor grip strength and progressive difficulty breathing. The patient’s medications include pyridostigmine and aspirin, both of which he takes as prescribed. His temperature is 99.0°F (37.2°C), blood pressure is 128/78 mmHg, pulse is 92/min, and respirations are 28/min with an oxygen saturation of 86% O2 on room air. The patient has gray-blue skin, hypophonia, weak upper extremities, and normal leg strength. An arterial blood gas is drawn with results as shown below:

PO2: 55 mmHg
PCO2: 60 mmHg
pH: 7.30

The patient is intubated. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?