Should arterial blood-gas analysis be done in all ICU patients?

• Author Details:   
• Drishya Pradeep Nair
• Asha Khubchandani

---

View PDF

Introduction: Understanding and use of blood gas analysis enable providers to interpret respiratory, circulatory and metabolic disorders and its severity. It is an important tool of analysis especially amongst critical care patients.

Objective: This study was done with the objectiveto find out which acid base disorderis more prevalent amongst ICU patients and importance of early ABG analysis in these patients.

Materials and Methods: A retrospective Cross-sectional study was carriedout from data of 500 patients admitted to ICU of B. J. MedicalCollege, Ahmedabad. The arterial blood sample was sent well packed in ice packs within 15 mins of collection. The sample was immediately analysed in the laboratory by Eschweiler Combi-Line.

Results: In this study extremes of blood pH in either direction are observed, with respiratory alkalosis being most common and respiratory acidosis the least common

Conclusion: From this study we conclude that arterial blood-gas analysis is essential in diagnosis and treatment of acid base imbalance and lung functioning and therefore should be done in all critical care patients.

Take Home Message: Accurate and timely analysis of blood can help in early diagnosis and initiation of treatment. Continuous monitoring in these patients is equally crucial. Regular training and updating of ICU staff regarding the ventilator operation and management should also be given adequate importance