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Tic-Tac-Toe Method - Nurseslabs
Tic-Tac-Toe Method - Nurseslabs
Method
The easiest method to interpret ABGs!
An arterial blood gas (ABG) is a blood test that measures the acidity (pH) and the levels of oxygen
and carbon dioxide in the blood. Blood for an ABG test is taken from an artery whereas most other
blood tests are done on a sample of blood taken from a vein. This test is done to monitor several
conditions that can cause serious health complications especially to critically ill individuals.
Every day, a lot of nursing and medical students assigned in acute areas encounter ABG results,
which they may not necessarily be able to interpret with its knotty aspect. They struggle over the
interpretation of its measurements, but they are not especially complicated nor difficult if you
understand the basic physiology and have a step by step process to analyze and interpret them.
There may be various tips and strategies to guide you, from mnemonics, to charts, to lectures, to
practice, but this article will tell you how to interpret ABGs in the easiest possible way. And once you
have finished reading this, youll be doing actual ABG analysis in the NCLEX with fun and excitement!
Here are the steps:
paCO2 = Respiratory
HCO3 = Metabolic
4. Remember ROME
Still, it all boils down to mnemonics. The mnemonic RO-ME.
Respiratory Opposite
Metabolic Equal
5. Tic-Tac-Toe
And yes, ABG problems can be solved work using the tic-tac-toe method. All you have to do is make a
blank chartsimilar to this:
6. Mark the Chart
Using the lab result values, mark them on your tic-tac-toe. Lets begin with this sample problem:
Using the normal values reference chart in the first step, determine where the values should be under
in the tic-tac-toe. In the given example, the solution is as follows:
*Since the acidity of the blood is determined by the value of the pH, determine whether the normal pH
is SLIGHTLY ACIDIC or SLIGHTLY BASIC. In this example, pH is NORMAL but SLIGHTLY BASIC
therefore it is ALKALOSIS.
In this case PaCO2 goes with pH. PaCO2 is considered Respiratory (shown in step 3), and both are
under Basic, so this example implies Respiratory Alkalosis. The HCO3 is also abnormal. When pH is
NORMAL and PaCO2 and HCO3 are both ABNORMAL, it indicates FULL COMPENSATION.
In this case HCO3 goes with pH. HCO3 is considered Metabolic (shown in step 3), and both are under
Acidic, so this example implies Metabolic Acidosis. The PaCO2 is normal. When pH is ABNORMAL,
and when either one of PaCO2 or HCO3 is ABNORMAL, it indicates UNCOMPENSATION.
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Gil Wayne, RN
http://nurseslabs.com
Gil Wayne is a registered nurse and a contributor at Nurseslabs.com. Prefers writing, traveling and discovering stuffs. Not a
fan of working in a hospital, but enjoys exploring nursing outside its walls! I like the color gray, but cant imagine myself in gray
scrubs... lol!