HELP!! Resp/Metabolic Acidosis/Alkalosis

Published

Hi There!!!

Does anyone out there have any tricks for interpreting ABG results to determine Resp/Metabolic Acidosis/Alkalosis. We are going to get ABG lab examples on our next exam (Tuesday) and we will need to determine what the labs represent.

Example PaO2 90 SaO2 95 pH 7.48 PaCO2 32 HCO3 24

Answer Respiratory alkalosis

Are there any "good" ways to remember the ups and downs of these lab values, or am I stuck memorizing? :o

Thanks,

Katie

Up Vote Up Vote ×

My instructor taught us with the tic-tac-toe grid which has made interpretation of the numbers pretty easy to remember. Are you familiar with this method? Because I don't want to go into it if you are. If you are not familiar I can try to explain how I do it and hope it helps you. Plus there are quite a few really great posters like Daytonite who are wonderful at explaining.

Plus

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

there are all kinds of links that were put together to help students with these two subjects on post #25 (alkalosis/acidosis) and post #46 (abgs and interpreting them) on this sticky tread:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

After I posted I found some great links on here thanks for all of your help! The tic tac toe method? Never heard of it but I would love if you wanted to share :up:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

https://allnurses.com/forums/f205/easy-way-remember-abg-s-144947.html

Here is a link to what I'm talking about that probably explains it way better than I ever could.

Look for #8 post by VickyRN and down load the file at the bottom.

For me personally, this way was really easy for me to grasp and understand and if I make the grid can almost always come up with the right answer.

Hope this helps you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
After I posted I found some great links on here thanks for all of your help! The tic tac toe method? Never heard of it but I would love if you wanted to share :up:

It's also posted in the links I've referred to above.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

My mother's best friend came up with a method called, "Who's the baby's daddy?". It is great!!! Let me know if you're interested and I'll explain!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

R O M E

Respiratory opposite, Metabolic EVEN.

A very good teacher took this from a workbook and taught us how to remember when evaluating acidotic/alkalotic states.

If you want, I can try and find it online.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac.
My mother's best friend came up with a method called, "Who's the baby's daddy?". It is great!!! Let me know if you're interested and I'll explain!

Sounds similiar to "all in the family"

http://realnurseed.com/abg.htm

Up Vote Up Vote ×

i just blew the dust off this thread.... ;)

hopefully it helps someone else out there! i know it saved me tonight!!

p.s.

i know it's been a couple of years, but thank you so much to all who posted all these awesome links! you guys rock! (daytonite - miss your input! :( )

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion