Monday Apr 28, 2025

Arterial Blood Gas Basics - Sampling, Interpreting, Clinical use, Acid-Base | Clinical Medicine

In this podcast we discuss the basics of the arterial blood gas or ABG. This is a blood draw that some may consider a small procedure. It is important for all of those in the healthcare field to understand what this is, how to perform the procedure, the various components, and how to interpret the results. Here, we go over these things and more! We talk about blood gases in general, including the arterial blood gas, capillary blood gas, and venous blood gas.

You can sample any arterial site, but most often the radial or femoral artery. Textbooks would suggest performing the Allen's Test first, which we will review. We then go over the procedure itself.

Interpreting the ABG involves understanding the various results. This includes the measured results, being the pH, PaO2, and PaCO2. The calculated components are the base excess, HCO3, and SaO2. ABGs are great for looking at oxygenation, ventilation, and acid-base status.

We will finish with a very basic introduction to the acid-base assessments including how to identify whether it's acidotic or alkalotic and then whether it is primary respiratory or metabolic.

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