Arterial Blood Gases Made Easy

Arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis is a fundamental skill in modern medicine yet one which many find difficult to grasp. 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. Over half of the book is devoted to thirty clinical case scenarios involving analysis of arterial blood gases, allowing the reader to gain both proficiency in interpretation and an appreciation of the role of an ABG in guiding clinical diagnosis and management.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Part 1: The ABG explained

• • Introduction

• • Pulmonary gas exchange: the basics

• • Disorders of gas exchange.

• • Acid base balance: the basics

• • Disorders of acid base balance
  • ABG sampling techniques

• • When and why is an ABG required

• • Common ABG values

• • Making ABG interpretation easy.

Part 2: The ABG in Practice

The second part of the book contains a series of 30 clinical scenarios each requiring interpretation of an arterial blood gas as the end point. Each scenario comprises a 2 page spread. The first page includes information on history and examination findings, with or without other important test results. The opposing page shows the ABG result in the style of a computer print-out and list a series of questions for the reader to answer. Each scenario has a corresponding ‘explanation’ at the back of the book.