Common ABG values

Published on 09/04/2015 by admin

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Last modified 09/04/2015

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1.8 Common ABG values

The following parameters are commonly found on ABG reports and are provided for reference (normal ranges in brackets):

H+ (35–45 nmol/L) < 35 = alkalaemia, >45 = acidaemia

Concentration of free hydrogen ions: this is a measure of how acidic or alkaline a solution is.

pH (7.35–7.45) < 7.35 = acidaemia, >7.45 = alkalaemia

Negative log of the H+ ion concentration: this is a common representation of the H+ concentration. Due to the logarithmic nature of the scale, small changes in the pH actually represent large changes in the H+ concentration.

PO2 (>10.6 kPa or >80 mmHg in arterial blood on room air)

Partial pressure of O2: can be thought of as the drive for O2 molecules to move from one place to another. PO2 is not a measure of O2 content but it does determine the extent to which Hb is saturated with O2. PaO2 refers specifically to the partial pressure of O2 in arterial blood.

PCO2