Additional ABG Practice Examples:

1. Mr. Frank is a 60 year-old with pneumonia. He is admitted with dyspnea, fever, and chills. His blood gas is below:
pH 7.28
CO2 56
PO2 70
HCO3 25
SaO2 89%

What is your interpretation?

What interventions would be appropriate for Mr. Frank?

2. Ms. Strauss is a 24 year-old college student. She has a history of Crohn's disease and is complaining a of a four day history of bloody-watery diarrhea. A blood gas is obtained to assess her acid/base balance:
pH 7.28
CO2 43
pO2 88
HCO3 20
SaO2 96%

What is your interpretation?

What interventions would be appropriate for Ms. Strauss?

3. Mr. Karl is a 80 year-old nursing home resident admitted with urosepsis. Over the last two hours he has developed shortness of breath and is becoming confused. His ABG shows the following results:
pH 7.02
CO2 55
pO2 77
HCO3 14
SaO2 89%

What is your interpretation?

What interventions would be appropriate for Mr. Karl?

4. Mrs. Lauder is a thin, elderly-looking 61 year-old COPD patient. She has an ABG done as part of her routine care in the pulmonary clinic. The results are as follows:
pH 7.37
CO2 63
pO2 58
HCO3 35
SaO2 89%

What is your interpretation?

What interventions would be appropriate for Mrs. Lauder?

5. Ms. Steele is a 17 year-old with intractable vomiting. She has some electrolyte abnormalities, so a blood gas is obtained to assess her acid/base balance.
pH 7.50
CO2 36
pO2 92
HCO3 27
SaO2 97%

What is your interpretation?

What interventions would be appropriate for Ms. Steele?

6. Mr. Longo is a 18 year-old comatose, quadriplegic patient who has the following ABG done as part of a medical workup:
pH 7.48
CO2 22
pO2 96
HCO3 16
SaO2 98%

What is your interpretation?

What interventions would be appropriate for Mr. Longo?

7. Mr. Casper is a 55 year-old with GERD. He takes about 15 TUMS antacid tablets a day. An ABG is obtained to assess his acid/base balance:
pH 7.46
CO2 42
pO2 86
HCO3 29
SaO2 97%

What is your interpretation?

What interventions would be appropriate for Mr. Casper?

8. Mrs. Dobins is found pulseless and not breathing this morning. After a couple minutes of CPR she responds with a pulse and starts breathing on her own. A blood gas is obtained:
pH 6.89
CO2 70
pO2 42
HCO3 13
SaO2 50%

What is your interpretation?

What interventions would be appropriate for Mrs. Dobins?

9. After resuscitating Mrs. Dobins, you find Mr. Simmons to be in respiratory distress. He has a history of Type-I diabetes mellitus and is now febrile. (Wow, what a bad day). His ABG shows:
pH 7.00
CO2 59
pO2 86
HCO3 14
SaO2 91%

What is your interpretation?

What interventions would be appropriate for Mr. Simmons?

10. Ms. Berth was admitted for a drug overdose. She is being mechanically ventilated and a blood gas is obtained to assess her for weaning. The results are as follows:
pH 7.54
CO2 19
pO2 100
HCO3 16
SaO2 98%

What is your interpretation?

What interventions would be appropriate for Ms. Berth?