Know What to Ask for Accurate Blood Gas Panels

By G. A. Soto

Blood Gas Analysis Report

 

	Measured Values	Units
pH	7.25
PCO2	60	mmHg
PO2	50	mmHg
BE	5.0	mmol/L
HCO3	27.5	mmol/L
O2 Saturation	64	%

 

You, a Respiratory Therapist, receive the above blood gas results for one of your patients.  What should you do to treat your patient?

Hmmmm.

Exactly! How can you interpret what these results mean without knowing other crucial information that has not been provided?  Some of the questions that might immediately come to mind as having an effect on the matter:

• Is this patient on room air or is oxygen being delivered?

• Is the patient breathing on their own or perhaps on ventilation?

• Is this an arterial result?

• Is this an adult, a pediatric or possibly one of the neonatal patients? If the patient is a neonatal patient the sample type could be relevant.

• Are these temperature corrected values?  What is the temperature of the patient?

• Are any of these measured values critical according to my department’s policy?

Some indication of when this result was analyzed would be nice.  Maybe not to worry, perhaps this is a cord gas – or better worry!

Yes this seems obvious but a useful presentation of blood gas results would answer all of these questions.  Without this information what you see is a research project. So do not settle for less than complete information on your blood gas panel.