Indications, interpretations, and clinical applications m etabolic derangements and respiratory distress are common presenting problems in emergency medicine. Jan 26, 2015 arterial blood gases abgs are an important routine investigation to monitor the acidbase balance of patients. It is possible to have a mixed respiratory and metabolic disorder that makes interpretation of an arterial blood gas result difficult. Arterial blood gas analysis an overview sciencedirect topics. How to interpret arterial blood gas results correspondence. The usefulness of this diagnostic tool is dependent on being able to correctly interpret the results. Arterial blood gas abg interpretation for medical students. Interpretation of arterial blood gas pubmed central pmc. The following is a simplified explanation of abgs, including a practical method for interpreting results.
So, there are 3 basic steps to interpretation of an arterial blood gas. Understanding arterial blood gases nursing case studies. Arterial blood gases indications and interpretation. Patients are often required to be checked for arterial blood gas analysis to find what exactly is happening in the body of patients system.
Overview abg sampling interpretation of abg gas exchange acid base status. Interpreting an arterial blood gas abg is a crucial skill for physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other health care personnel. Abg interpretation abg analysis arterial blood gases acidbase balance. Anjali sharma, in nelson pediatric symptombased diagnosis, 2018. Abg interpretation is especially important in critically ill patients.
Do not be intimidated by abg interpretation no longer. Interpreting and using the arterial blood gas analysis. Arterial blood gas analysis dr abdullah pg 2 medicine amu aligarh 2. The following sixstep process helps ensure a complete interpretation of every abg. Interpretation of thearterial blood gas analysis dm seminar dr.
Practice rational testing interpreting arterial blood gas results. The interpretation of arterial blood gases australian. Arterial oxygen tension pao 2 is the partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood. Carbon dioxide co2 elimination through respiration. The first step is to look at each of the three main values ph, paco2, and hco3 or bicarb and determine if they are acidosis, alkalosis, or. An arterial blood gas abg analysis can tell you about a patients oxygenation, acidbase balance, pulmonary function, and metabolic status. With that in mind, the main steps in interpreting an arterial blood gas in greater detail are presented below. Blood can be drawn via an arterial stick from the wrist, groin, or above the elbow. This is relevant in febrile or hypothermic patients, so body temperature should be recorded at the time of collection. The bodys regulation of ph is influenced by both the respiratory and the. However, the factors that dictate arterial blood gas values are often multifactorial and complex, with six.
If the results do not make sense, either your interpretation was wrong or there may be some additional processes at work that were not recognized on the initial analysis. The chinese university of hong kong sampling of arterial blood for blood gas analysis will yield information on. Arterial blood gas interpretation felicia ratnaraj internal medicine pgy 3. Arterial blood gas abg analysis is an essential part of diagnosing and managing a patients oxygenation status and acidbase balance. Apr 03, 2020 an arterial blood gas requires the nurse to collect a small sample of blood generally, a full 1 ml. Mistakes in arterial blood gas abg interpretation are common in clinical practice. However, the more complicated and in some ways more important part of abg analysis is ph regulation. Arterial blood gases you are a new staff member working in the emergency department ed during your induction you are introduced to the practical workings of the point of care arterial blood gas abg machine in the ed. The process of analysis and monitoring of arterial blood gas abg is an essential part of diagnosing and managing the oxygenation status and acidbase balance of the highrisk patients, as well. Arterial blood gases abg results reflect underlying pathology and interpretation of the results are often compounded by ongoing disease processes and clinical interventions. Explains the basic physiological ph abnormalities and more to understand. The radial artery on the wrist is most commonly used to obtain the sample.
The most important points when assessing a patient are the history, examination and basic observations. But it is often encountered that many students dont know how to read abg, and thats why we are providing arterial blood gas. Arterial blood gas primer clinical respiratory diseases. This article illustrates the use of the stepwise approach, tables, figures, case studies, illustrations, computerbased learning modules, and the tictactoe approach.
Arterial blood gas abg interpretation is something many medical students find difficult to grasp weve been there. Normal values to check in abg before actually starting to interpret the abg reports, one needs to remember the following normal values, without which, it is impossible to analyze anything. Arterial blood gas analysis assesses a patients partial pressure of oxygen pao2, providing information on the oxygenation status. The present article is an attempt for the simplified approach for the bedside interpretation of abg. Its a test that is used to assess how well oxygen is being distributed throughout the body and how well carbon dioxide is being removed. May 23, 20 arterial blood gases printable handout arterial blood gases pdf blood gas worksheet checklist download pdf you are a new staff member working in the emergency department ed. They may help make a diagnosis, indicate the severity of a condition and help to assess treatment. Arterial blood gas measurements tensions and concentrations of o 2 and co 2 constitute a mainstay of clinical care to assess the degree of pulmonary gas exchange abnormality. Abg interpretation a guide to understanding abgs geeky. It is simple, perhaps simplistic, but it will hopefully arm the reader with the tools and confidence to. Pdf interpretation of arterial blood gas researchgate. There are many creative ways to teach arterial blood gas interpretation. Weve created this guide, which aims to provide a structured approach to abg interpretation whilst also increasing your understanding of each results relevance.
Sign up to receive my blogemail updates and receive a free handout to develop clinical j. It explains each component in turn followed by clinical examples to work through. Blood gas evaluation link to condensed version case 5. Arterial blood gas interpretation demystified physician assistant. These will make more sense as we go along, but i want to present them here so that you can keep them in mind as we go through this. Arterial blood gases abgs provide a wealth of information for the differential diagnosis of many respiratory and metabolic diseases, but how can nurses use this information as part of the physical assessment and reporting of key events. The oxygen tension pao 2, carbon dioxide tension paco.
Arterial blood gas interpretation arterial blood gas analysis is an essential part of diagnosing and managing a patients oxygenation status and acid base balance. Overview of thediscussion basics of acidbase balance. You take a blood specimen for analysis of arterial blood gases for rapid. Creative ways to teach arterial blood gas interpretation. The main determinants of pao 2 are the inspired oxygen concentration, alveolar gas exchange, and, to a lesser extent, tissue oxygen consumption. Arterial blood gas abg interpretation for medical students, osces and mrcp paces this section presents how to interpret arterial blood gases. A case study approach is specially for all the emergency medicine rotatorsexplains all the essentials from basics to the most difficult casesnow you can download the book.
The results of abg testing will often influence the treatment that patients receive. The process of analysis and monitoring of arterial blood gas abg is an essential part of diagnosing and managing the oxygenation status and. Components of the arterial blood gas the arterial blood gas provides the following values. As you struggle to listen to the machine company representative talking about cleaning the machine. The arterial blood gas analysis, obtained while the patient is breathing a known fraction of inspired oxygen f io 2, is the gold standard for assessing oxygenation, ventilation, and acidbase status. Arterial blood gas interpretation felicia ratnaraj internal medicine pgy 3 pm report. However, the femoral artery and brachial artery can be used if necessary. Mixed acid base disorder more than one problem is present both co 2 and metabolic parameters have shifted towards the acidic side. This indispensable tool helps you assess and monitor critically ill patients in the icu or other critical care settings.
Nov 02, 2011 interpretation of the arterial blood gas analysis 1. Monitoring of acidbase balance is done by testing patients arterial blood gases abgs. Body temperature can also affect arterial blood gas tensions. An arterial blood gas, or abg for short, is a test that measures the blood levels of oxygen pao2, carbon dioxide paco2, and acidbase balance ph in the body.
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