Blood Gas Analysis Essentials

Pulmonary

Video course

by Michael A. Grippi, MD

Master arterial blood gas analysis based on an understanding of relevant physiologic principles. You’ll cover crucial factors that determine oxygenation of blood in the lungs, and oxygen transport and delivery to peripheral tissues. Learn about the interplay between blood gas and acid-base analysis and how carbon dioxide affects arterial pH. This course complements our Acid-Base Essentials course.

1h 46m

8 Quizzes

3 CME

What’s in it for you?

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After completing this course, you will be able to

Explain the factors that determine alveolar PO₂
Identify the physiologic determinants of O₂ flux across the alveolar-capillary membrane
Appreciate the factors that determine binding of O₂ to hemoglobin
Calculate O₂ content of arterial blood
Calculate O₂ delivery to peripheral tissues
Calculate O₂ consumption in peripheral tissues
Explain how CO₂ is transported in the blood
Describe the relationship between ventilation and arterial PCO₂
Recognize how the lungs and kidneys work in tandem to control arterial pH

What's inside

Free

Chapter 1

Back to basics

Here, you’ll cover the relationship between a gas's fractional concentration and partial pressure, and calculations of partial pressures of dry versus humidified gases.

3 lessons

11m

Back to basics intro

How to calculate the fractional concentration of gases in a mixture

Partial pressure and the alveolar air equation made simple

Back to basics quiz

Quiz

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Chapter 2

Diffusion across the alveolar-capillary membrane

Learn about gas diffusion across the alveolar-capillary membrane. Factors discussed include the properties of the alveolar-capillary membrane and the gases within the alveoli.

5 lessons

20m

Diffusion across the alveolar-capillary membrane intro

Simplifying Fick's law and lung gas exchange

What's the difference between diffusion- and perfusion-limited gas exchange?

How is RBC oxygen uptake affected by diffusion and perfusion?

What is diffusing capacity and why is it important?

Diffusion across the alveolar-capillary membrane quiz

Quiz

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Chapter 3

Oxygen transport

Understand how oxygen is distributed between hemoglobin and the rest of the cell environment, and the factors affecting the equilibrium between free and hemoglobin-bound oxygen.

4 lessons

17m

Oxygen transport intro

What makes RBCs so good at transporting oxygen?

What affects hemoglobin's oxygen affinity?

Calculating the total oxygen content of arterial blood

Oxygen transport quiz

Quiz

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Chapter 4

Oxygen delivery to peripheral tissues

This chapter addresses the determinants of oxygen delivery to peripheral tissues. The concepts of oxygen content of the blood and cardiac output are discussed.

3 lessons

Oxygen delivery to peripheral tissues intro

What factors affect oxygen delivery?

Using the Fick equation to calculate the arteriovenous difference and cardiac output

Oxygen delivery to peripheral tissues quiz

Quiz

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Chapter 5

The ventilation-perfusion relationship

Understand the relationship between regional lung ventilation and perfusion. Learn about why regional variations in ventilation and perfusion occur and the effect on gas exchange.

5 lessons

12m

The ventilation-perfusion relationship intro

Everything you need to know about the ventilation-perfusion ratio

What's a physiological shunt?

What defines physiological dead space?

Asthma and ARDS as examples of altered ventilation-perfusion ratios

The ventilation-perfusion relationship quiz

Quiz

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Chapter 6

Carbon dioxide removal

Learn about the main determinants of arterial PCO2, the relationship between carbon dioxide production and elimination, and the importance of alveolar and dead space ventilation.

3 lessons

Carbon dioxide removal intro

How are PaCO2 and minute ventilation related?

How is carbon dioxide transported in the blood?

Carbon dioxide removal quiz

Quiz

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Chapter 7

Acid-base balance

This chapter covers the relationship between arterial PCO2, pH, and ventilation. You’ll cover the roles of ventilation and alterations in arterial PCO2 in adjusting arterial pH.

5 lessons

21m

Acid-base balance intro

How does breathing help buffer the pH of blood?

How do I interpret a Davenport diagram?

Primary respiratory acid-base disorders

Primary metabolic acid-base disorders

Acid-base balance quiz

Quiz

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Chapter 8

Case studies in blood gas analysis

This chapter provides two clinical cases for analysis, drawn from real-life clinical practice. These incorporate many of the principles covered in the preceding chapters.

4 lessons

14m

Case studies in blood gas analysis intro

Case 1—What's in a number?

Case 2 —Now that's teamwork

Case studies in blood gas analysis quiz

Quiz

Blood Gas Analysis Essentials outro

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Teachers of this course

Michael A. Grippi, MD

Michael is Vice Chairman in the Department of Medicine and Associate Professor of Medicine in the Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Division at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, USA.

Teacher Profile

Medmastery

Nora Drenaline

Pulmonary

Claim your certificate

All members receive a certificate for completing this course. For Pro members, the certificate comes with 3 CME credits.

CME accredited

All our courses and workshops are fully CME accredited. We provide USA AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and European CME credits (ECMEC®s). Pro members can download their CME certificates upon successful completion of activities. Want to transfer these credits to your national system? No problem.

Learn how this works

CME at its best

Award-winning teaching method

Winner of the Comenius EduMedia Medal
For outstanding digital education—Berlin 2013
Highly commended by the British Medical Association
Awarded in the digital category of the BMA Book Awards—London 2017
Winner of the Comenius EduMedia Seal
For outstanding digital education—Berlin 2017
Internationally accredited
CME accredited in the USA and EU with mutual recognition agreements in most other countries.
Trusted institutional partner
Used by residency programs and universities around the world to train their clinicians and students.
Top-rated by our learners
Rated excellent by hundreds of users on Trustpilot, an independent reviewing platform.

What’s in it for you?

Master the most important skills

Learn any skill in under 5 hours

Save time and money

After completing this course, you will be able to

What's inside

Back to basics

Diffusion across the alveolar-capillary membrane

Oxygen transport

Oxygen delivery to peripheral tissues

The ventilation-perfusion relationship

Carbon dioxide removal

Acid-base balance

Case studies in blood gas analysis

Claim your certificate

CME accredited

Winner of the Comenius EduMedia Medal

Highly commended by the British Medical Association

Winner of the Comenius EduMedia Seal

Internationally accredited

Trusted institutional partner

Top-rated by our learners