This course has been approved for 4 hours by the Commission on Case Manager Certification for 2009, 1/15/10 through 12/31/10, 2011, 2012, and 2013.
The purpose of this course is to provide nurses with information about blood gas interpretation so that they will interpret and manage blood gas imbalances effectively. After studying the information presented here, you will be able to —
- Differentiate between an acid and a base.
- Identify two buffering systems within the body.
- Define the basic components of a blood gas report.
- List the normal ABG parameters.
- Discuss four common clinical problems that lead to respiratory imbalances.
- Discuss four common clinical problems that lead to metabolic imbalances.
- Explain the significance of left and right shifts on the dissociation curve.
- Identify four mechanisms of hypoxemia and how they are documented on blood gas analysis.
