Arterial blood gas is a blood test that is normally performed in people hospitalized in the intensive care unit to check if the changes in blood gases are working correctly and, in this way, assess the need for external oxygen.
In addition, it is a test that can be requested from hospital admission to help diagnose respiratory, kidney or severe infections, as well as checking if treatment is effective and can therefore use it as one of the criteria that could influence a patient’s discharge.
- Blood blood gases were obtained by obtaining a blood sample from the artery of the arm or leg.
- The way it is obtained can become painful.
- As it is a more invasive technique.
- The resulting blood is transported to the laboratory so that biochemical samples can be tested to determine blood pH.
- Bicarbonate concentration and partial CO2 pressure.
Arterial gasometry should not be performed in case of peripheral artery disease, which can cause problems in the blood, clotting problems or in the person using anticoagulants, in these cases the doctor may order more tests to identify diseases that cause respiratory disturbances.
Arterial blood gases are requested by your doctor to
In addition, gasometry is also required in case of overdose, this test is not common, as it is not performed in a clinic or routine consultation, and should be requested by the doctor in the most serious cases.
Normal values for arterial gasometry are:
The following table provides some examples of modified values of arterial blood gases:
Arterial gasometry indicates how this lung function is, if correct, if the gas changes are performed correctly, indicating the condition of the person who may be affected by respiratory or metabolic alkalosis See what metabolic and respiratory acidosis, metabolic and respiratory alkalosis mediacalysis.
This test is not enough to confirm the diagnosis, it only suggests respiratory, renal or metabolic disturbances, being normally requested by the doctor for other complementary tests, such as x-rays, tomography, other blood tests, oral tests so that the diagnosis is The confirmed treatment could be initiated depending on the cause of the gasometric change.
Arterial gasometry determines the exact values of the oxygen content, and the kidneys and lungs function properly, aiding in the diagnosis of lung, kidney and infectious diseases.
Venous gasometry, on the other hand, is a second option when arterial blood is not possible, if obtained from the vein, and is primarily aimed at helping diagnose peripheral artery disease or blood clotting problems.