Interpret the results of various arterial blood gas samples. The most important points when assessing a patient are the history, examination and basic observations. Interpreting an arterial blood gas abg is a crucial skill for physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other health care personnel. Confusion often begins with trying to remember many random rules and lacking a standardized approach to abgs. To see how to perform an arterial blood gas check out our guide here. For example abg s with an alkalemic ph may exhibit respiratory acidosis and metabolic alkalosis. Once youve mastered this technique, youll be doing actual abg interpretation in the nclex with fun and excitement. This app helps in abg diagnosis and make understanding this complex subject easy. We have created three arterial blood gas analysis slidesets. An abg is a blood test that measures the acidity, or ph, and the levels of oxygen o2 and carbon dioxide co2 from an artery.
Below are some brief clinical scenarios with abg results. Arterial blood gases abg results reflect underlying pathology and interpretation of the results are often compounded by ongoing disease processes and clinical interventions. The 6 easy steps to abg analysis are listed below for easy reference and will be explained in more detail in the sections that follow. Analysis of arterial and mixed venous blood provide information concerning the oxygenation. I have explained the steps of abg interpretation with the help of some good examples.
Therefore, the 6 easy steps to abg analysis was developed to provide nurses with an accurate and systematic method of easily interpreting arterial blood gases. Handbook of blood gasacidbase interpretation springerlink. Abg quick interpretation parameter acidosis normal alkalosis reflects ph 7. The usefulness of this diagnostic tool is dependent on being able to correctly interpret the results. Arterial blood gas abg interpretation for medical students, osces and mrcp paces this section presents how to interpret arterial blood gases.
Arterial blood gas analysis is an essential investigation for assessing clinical oxygenation and acidbase status in critically ill patients, providing information about ventilation, oxygenation, and acidbase status. Oakes abg pocket guide with accompanying oakes abg instructional guide will show how to easily and simply interpret abgs to elucidate potential complex bodily disorders, which in turn should lead to improved patient management. The relative positions of the ph, paco2, and hco3 reveal the origin of any acid. The cause of the acidosis is the p a co 2, which is the respiratory component of the abg results. Try to interpret each abg and formulate a differential diagnosis before looking at the answer. He has a masters of nursing in advanced practice and, at the time of authoring this course, he was a doctoral candidate at the university of california. The best approach is to create a chart example provided below and to. Arterial blood gas analysis is a basic and useful laboratory test for the critical care of patients. Fortunately, there are some easy ways to remember how to decipher these important lab results. Analysis of blood gas can be a daunting task, but it is still one of the most helpful laboratory tests in managing respiratory and metabolic disorders. Abg analysis can also determine blood acidity ph level. Test your knowledge on the webs most interactive blood gas learning tool. The real value of an abg comes from its ability to provide a nearimmediate reflection of the physiology of your patient, allowing you to recognise and treat pathology more rapidly.
Aarc clinical practice guideline blood gas analysis and. The lesson talks about interpretation of arterial blood gas results. The best approach is to create a chart example provided below and to memorize the normal values of ph, co2, and hco3. This tictactoe technique involves a few charts to help you visualize abgs. Before we jump into numbers and attempt to interpret an abg, lets take some time to understand the. The interpretation of arterial blood gases australian. Interpretation of the arterial blood gas selflearning packet see swift for list of qualifying boards for continuing education hours. Body will not overcompensate when it comes to acidbase balance so. The arterial blood gas abg analyzer interprets abg findings and values.
If both the pco2 and hco3 are abnormal, the one which deviates most from the norm is most likely causing an. Arterial blood gas abg analysis is an essential part of diagnosing and managing a patients gas exchange and acidbase balance status, and can also be useful in providing immediate information about electrolyte status. Possible dialysis to remove excess lactate, manipulation of ventilation settings to adjust co2 levels, but always maintaining tissue perfusion. Acid normal alkaline ph paco2 hco3 the column that the ph is in tells you acidosis, or alkalosis. Pdf arterial blood gas analysis is a common investigation in emergency. Abg examples abg exam questions for medical students and.
This is bicarbonate, a chemical buffer made in the kidneys to neutralize acids. The body needs to keep blood ph in a very tight range, 7. 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. The following is a simplified explanation of abgs, including a practical method for interpreting results. However, the more complicated and in some ways more important part of abg analysis is ph regulation. Each case is then followed by an explanation of the acidbase status, the oxygenation status and a summary of the patients clinical picture.
Family practice notebook 2020, family practice notebook, llc. The interpretation of arterial blood gas results has been a challenging issue for respiratory therapy students as far back as i can remember. Arterial blood gas presentation arterial blood gas interpretation. Woodruff, msn, rnbc, cns, cen nurses often have difficulty interpreting arterial blood gases abgs. Acidbase questions can be confusing if you do not create a systematic method. This table is able to classify most clinical blood gas values but not all. Identify the relationship between oxygen saturation and pao2 as it relates to the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve.
On the first screen it clearly shows that bicarbonate is a calculated parameter. Patients should address specific medical concerns with their physicians. Oakes abg pocket guide shows how to easily elucidate triple disorders. Errors in blood gas analysis are dependent more on the clinician than on the analyser. Abg examples abg exam questions for medical students osces and mrcp paces. Interpretation of arterial blood gases abgs david a. Practice the 6 easy steps to abg analysis with more examples with explanations. Arterial blood gas analysis is a frequently used and extremely useful clinical tool. Aarc clinical practice guideline blood gas analysis and hemoximetry 20. Before you can interpret the result of an abg you must first classify the acidbase status. Arterial blood gas analysis dr abdullah pg 2 medicine amu aligarh 2. But it is often encountered that many students dont know how to read abg, and thats why we are providing arterial blood gas.
Even experienced practitioners have some trouble with the results of this very important test. Arterial blood gas analysis is a common investigation in emergency departments and intensive care units for monitoring patients with acute respiratory failure. Dec 21, 2019 practice the 6 easy steps to abg analysis with more examples with explanations. That makes the interpretation of these abg results is uncompensated respiratory acidosis. In this guide, we will teach you the eight 8 steps on how to interpret and analyze arterial blood gas abg results using the tictactoe method. Arterial blood gas analysis is an essential part of diagnosing and managing a patients oxygenation status and acidbase balance. Abg interpretation is especially important in critically ill patients.
Interpret the oxygenation state of a patient using the reported arterial blood gas pao2 value. It explains each component in turn followed by clinical examples to work through. Practice rational testing interpreting arterial blood gas. Arterial blood gasses, or abgs, may be among the most complex and confusing parts of nursing practice. Continuous regular abg monitoring and recording for trends.
The 6 easy steps to abg analysis are listed below for easy reference and will be explained in. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Example 6 31 year old aam took too many pills for suicide attempt na 9, k 5. Arterial blood gas abg interpretation is something many medical students find difficult to grasp weve been there. View the video lesson, cheat sheets and practice questions to master abg interpretation. This shows us how much red blood cells there are in a sample of blood i.
The hydrogen ions are buffered by desaturated hemoglobin, and hco3 is transported out of the eryth rocytes into the plasma figure 63. This book provides readers with the core background knowledge required to understand the abg, explains how it is used in clinical practice and provides a unique system for interpreting results. Jan 16, 2019 in this guide, we will teach you the eight 8 steps on how to interpret and analyze arterial blood gas abg results using the tictactoe method. It is the dedication of healthcare workers that will lead us through this crisis. It is designed as h and and puts the hh equation at the centre stage. A 68 yo woman with known copd, on home oxygen, presents a little drowsy. Are you ready to learn about arterial blood gases and abg interpretation.
Abgs made easy arterial blood gas interpretation in 10. Arterial blood gas abg analysis is an essential part of diagnosing and managing a patients gas exchange and acidbase balance status, and can also be useful in providing immediate information about electrolyte status it provides a near immediate reflection of the physiology of your patient, allowing you to recognise and treat pathology more rapidly. Everyone can read an electrolyte level, but when faced with a list of abgs, most nurses wilt. Abg interpretation free download as powerpoint presentation.
Overview abg sampling interpretation of abg gas exchange acid base status 3. Oxygen content of blood is affected by level and affinity state of hemoglobin. If so, youre in the right place, because that is what this study guide is all about. 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. Weve created this guide, which aims to provide a structured approach to abg interpretation whilst also increasing your understanding of each results relevance. As a respiratory therapist or student, is it critically important to know and understand the ins and outs abgs. Its possible to have more than one disorder influencing blood gas values. It also has some application in general practice, such as assessing the need for domiciliary oxygen therapy in. Apr 01, 2020 therefore, the 6 easy steps to abg analysis was developed to provide nurses with an accurate and systematic method of easily interpreting arterial blood gases. When one thinks of abg analysis, oxygenation may come to mind first. International journal of health sciences and research.
Interpreting an arterial blood gas abg is a crucial skill for physicians, nurses, respiratory. Metabolic alkalosis, with anion gap metabolic acidosis, and respiratory acidosis, with moderate hypoxemia this is another example of how an interpretation is different than a classification. Applications of abg o to document respiratory failure and assess its severity o to monitor patients on ventilators and assist in weaning o to assess acid base. Although access to this page is not restricted, the information found here is intended for use by medical providers. Arterial blood gas case questions and answers in the space that follows you will find a series of cases that include arterial blood gases. However, practice and experience will ease the frustration. In addition, you will be tested on if the disorder is partially compensated or uncompensated based on the lab values.
These disorders are termed complex acidbase or mixed disorders. If you want to put your abg interpretation skills to the test, check out our abg quiz. The following sixstep process helps ensure a complete interpretation of every abg. Arterial blood gas abg analysis is a fundamental skill in modern medicine yet one which many find difficult to grasp. Mistakes in arterial blood gas abg interpretation are common in clinical practice. These presentations provides a introduction to arterial blood gas procedures, abgs interpretation and 15 practice cases. It is simple, perhaps simplistic, but it will hopefully arm the reader with the tools and confidence to.
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