Arterial blood gas analysis plays an indispensable role in the assessment and management of patients with a huge range of acute medical and surgical problems. Its importance as a key tool in the work-up of acutely unwell patients rivals that of the ECG and the chest x-ray. This book covers all aspects of the arterial blood gas in a simple, user-friendly manner. The first part explains the technique, the values obtained and common patterns of abnormalities, while the second part comprises a series of worked examples and case scenarios to allow the reader to put this system into practice.
. Introduction . Pulmonary gas exchange: the basics . Disorders of gas exchange . Acid base balance: the basics . Disorders of acid base balance . ABG sampling technique . When and why is an ABG required? . Common values . Making ABG interpretation easy
Part 2: The ABG in Practice
The 2nd part of the book contains a series of 25 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 page at the back of the book.