Customer Reviews

All You Really Need to Know to Interpret Arterial Blood Gases (Includes ABC Quik Course)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was given this book when I rotated through the ICU as a 3rd year medical student. I had gone through other training classes that attempted to teach me how to read a blood gas but I never could get it down right. THEN, I read this one...it put things into the proper perspective and taught me what I needed to know when I was reading a blood gas. I highly recommend it!

If you could only read one book on blood gasses this would have to be the one.

This book covers the nitty-gritty about Arterial blood gasses (ABG). As a PhD who performs biomedical research, I have come across "experts" who resort to physiological babble because they dont know what arterial saturation is really all about. You will if you read this book.

The book centers around four classic expresssions: (1) partial pressure of co2, (2) pH (3) alveolar gas equation, and (4) o2 content. From these four expressions, and a little knowledge of clinical medicine, you will understand just about everything you need to know about ABG. Dont let the equations scare you off; you know them already.

The book is simple to read, and has example problems. The real-world examples/problems really help in applying the knowledge, which I found to be quite useful. The author does not go into deep biochemical details. But if you need a good solid introduction to blood chemistry, or have to review how to read an ABG report this is a great book.

I am an RT instructor and I chose this book as a text book for my arterial blood gas analysis class. the students found it very difficult to understand and some of the formulas have been abreviated to the point that a novice will have trouble understanding them. This is a very good review for anyone who already has a general understanding of acid base, blood gas and electrolyte interpretation and can clear up some misconceptions, however, this book is not adequate for someone just learning the basics. My students were very unhappy and I wound up not using the text nearly as much as I had planned.

This is probably the most important book you should get for ABG interpretation. It is very well written and easy to understand. The working examples are the best part of this book. In particularly, the last two chapters contains many excellent clinical examples. These examples are invaluable for anyone who wish to better care for their patients with respiratory problems. To gain a greater understanding of physiology of respiratory illnesses, you often need to work in ICU for 1-2 years. By working through these examples, you will achieve the same in just a few weeks and be as confident as the respiratory fellow who is supposed to know it all. Most textbooks will only give you theoretical stuff. These examples teach you the actual "how to" at bedside. More importantly, you will get a much better understanding of the physiological principles. Everything starts to make sense after you have gone through this book.

Yes, this is the book you need to understand acid-base. The secret is the easy to read and well structured approach. You will stop attending many lectures or workshops to understand acid-base.