ABG event Flashcards
1
Q
Where do you obtain an arterial blood sample?
A
The most common site is the radial artery. Other sites occasionally used are the brachial or femoral artery.
2
Q
Is arterial more, less or the same level of painfulness as venipuncture?
A
More painful
3
Q
What are the indications for obtaining arterial blood?
A
- ID and monitoring of acid-base disturbances
- Measure PaO2 and PaCO2
- Assess response to therapeutic interventions (eg, insulin in patients with diabetic ketoacidosis)
- Detection and quantification of the levels of abnormal hemoglobins (eg, carboxyhemoglobin and methemoglobin)
4
Q
How should you approach problems for trying to analyze acid-base disturbances?
A
Step 1: acedmia or alkalemia?
Step 2: is the HCO3- or pCO2 driving the change (look at which one is in the direction that you’d expect for that pH condition)
Step 3: is compensation happening (for the variable that’s not driving the pH change, is it normal or is it changed also and how?)
Step 4: analyze ion gap
- AG > normal –> KULT
- AG < normal –> diarrhea, kidney disorder
