The full form of ABG is Arterial Blood Gas. ABG is a measurement of the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in a person’s blood. Its purpose is to assess the body’s pH level, which is typically in equilibrium when the body is healthy. The test provides the clinician with information on the lung, kidney, and heart’s functional state.
Every cell in the body requires oxygen to survive. The lung forces oxygen into the blood and expels carbon dioxide out as a person inhales and exhales, or breathes in and out. Gas exchange is the process which gives the oxygen required for survival. An arterial blood gas may be used by the doctor if someone is experiencing problems breathing. To identify the problem, the doctor could run an arterial blood gas (ABG) test.
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The Purpose of an Arterial Blood Gas
An Arterial Blood Gas test may be requested by a doctor to:
- Look out for severe breathing and lung conditions such as cystic fibrosis, asthma, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
- Check the effectiveness of your lung-related medications.
- Check to see whether you require more oxygen or any other breathing help.
- Examine your pH level. A person’s body may have too much acid due to kidney failure, a significant illness, specifically dangerous ingestions, the intricacy of diabetes, or untreated sleep disorders.
Arterial Blood Gas Procedure
The supply route blood sample is commonly obtained from the inside of the wrist, although it can also be taken from either inside the arm at the elbow crease or the femoral vein. The person’s arm is spread wide, and his wrist is resting on a small cushion. The health professional taking the blood sample may move the patient’s hand back and forth while feeling for a heartbeat in the wrist.
To ensure that the bloodstream at hand is normal, the Allen test is used. On the arm used for dialysis, or if there is a disease or exacerbation in the area of the cut site, an arterial blood gas test will not be performed.
The health professional who draws a blood sample from a patient performs the following tasks:
- Use alcohol to disinfect the needle site.
- Incorporate the supply channel with the needle.
- Allow the syringe to fill with blood.
- As the needle is being removed, place a bandage cushion or cotton ball over the needle site.
- Wrap the wound in a cloth and press firmly on it for five to ten minutes.
- The Arterial Blood Gas Parameters
A test for Arterial Blood Gas evaluates:
- Sectional strength of oxygen: This measures how much oxygen is broken up in the blood and how efficiently it can enter the blood from the lungs’ airspace.
- The weight of carbon dioxide broken down in the circulation and the efficiency with which carbon dioxide can leave the body by the sectional pressure of carbon dioxide.
- The blood’s hydrogen ions’ pH values: In the normal range, the pH of blood is between 7.35 and 7.45.