Arterial Blood Gas EKG Interpretation

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this lesson, the learner will be able to:

List the indications for obtaining and analyzing arterial blood
List the hazards associated with arterial puncture
Describe the procedure for obtaining blood from an artery
Discuss the reasons why the radial artery is preferred
Describe the Allen test
List possible sources of error when obtaining and analyzing arterial blood
List the values typically measured by a standard blood gas analyzer
List the values typically measure by a co-oximeter
Describe the various quality control measures used to assure the accuracy of blood gas values, including Levey-Jennings data