Blood Gas Interpretation

New Grad Radio: Intensive Care & Emergency Nurse

Welcome back to Part 2 on a two-part segment on Blood Gases. In this episode I highlight a basic, systematic approach to analysing a blood gas, including a discussion on ‘normal’ values, a process of contacting the doctors, and speak on some nursing interventions.
As I mention in the episode, this is a topic you could cover for HOURS, but I really want to provide the absolute staples, so if you have never used a blood gases, it could give you at least a foundation.
Resources:
- Blood Gas interpretation game (HIGHLY recommend) - https://abg.ninja/abg
- Roger from Med Cram does a great job on explaining the basics. This is episode 1. It's a multi-part series found on YouTube that starts light, and ends up going DEEPER each episode. Not a bad start with this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wMEMhvrQxE
- This is a nice step-by-step guide to ABG analysis by the American Thoracic Society. Have a look towards the end of the page, as it lists conditions associated with the analysis. It goes one step further than most fundamental lessons, giving the 'so what': https://www.thoracic.org/professionals/clinical-resources/critical-care/clinical-education/abgs.php