Pal Surgery

Acid–base & blood gases

Arterial blood gas interpretation for medical students, in the context of surgical patients.

A blood gas is the fastest way to see how sick a surgical patient is. Learn the five steps in the guide, check yourself with the calculator, then test yourself on ten surgical patients.

Coming next in the series

Acid–Base Balance: A Visual Guide for Medical Students — free to download with a DOI, like the rest of the series.

In this topic

Start here

Related

Test yourself: Champion

5 rapid-recall questions on this topic, thirty seconds each.

Play this topic →
11Test yourself: Critical care (ICU) MCQs
Single-best-answer questions with answers, explanations and references.
Start →

Other topics

Everything on the site sits under one of these.

Pre-operative assessmentAssess any patient before surgery in seven steps, with the risk scores that put a number on it.7 steps9 scoresVTEAntibioticsExplore topic Liver, gallbladder & jaundiceBile acids, the three types of jaundice, liver function tests and the gallbladder patient.10 guides1 calculatorFree bookExplore topic IV fluids & electrolytesWhat bag, how much and how fast: maintenance, resuscitation, replacement, sodium and potassium.Free book1 calculator2 stationsExplore topic Acid–base & blood gasesRead any arterial blood gas in five steps: compensation, the anion gap and the surgical patterns.1 guide1 calculator10 casesExplore topic Endocrine surgeryThe thyroid and the parathyroids: the neck lump, calcium, and the patient after a thyroidectomy.ThyroidParathyroidFree bookExplore topic Bariatric & metabolic surgeryWho is a candidate, which operation, and the complications to recognise on the ward.1 guidePeer-reviewed chapterExplore topic Hernia & the abdominal wallReducible, incarcerated or strangulated; inguinal or femoral; and when it needs a surgeon tonight.1 guide2 casesExplore topic Acute abdomen & GI surgeryAbdominal pain, bowel obstruction, appendicitis and GI bleeding: the histories and the investigations.2 guides10 cases9 stationsExplore topic Vascular & woundsVenous, arterial and neuropathic ulcers, the cold leg and the diabetic foot.1 guide3 cases1 stationExplore topic Surgical oncologyHow cancer starts, spreads and is staged, the genes behind it, screening, the MDT, treatment and oncological emergencies.11 guides12-question quiz2 cheat sheetsExplore topic

Calculators for this topic

Anion gap

Back