The purpose of this course is to provide healthcare professionals with information about blood gas interpretation so that they will interpret and manage blood gas imbalances effectively. After completing this home study course, 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 blood gas 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.
Educational Gap: Health professionals are not able to identify and evaluate ABG results.
This course was reviewed and approved by Scott H. Plantz, MD, FAAEM, representing the University of Louisville School of Medicine Continuing Health Sciences Education.
