Site Map	Take, Analyse and Interpret a Radial Blood Gas

Equipment

• Select appropriate equipment
  • 2ml syringes
  • Smallest bore needle practical:
    • Orange for radial
    • Green for femoral
  • Heparin 100u/ml
  • Dressing pack
  • Antiseptic
  • Local anaesthetic
  • Sterile gloves
• Lay up a sterile trolley with
  • Drapes
  • Antiseptic
  • Cotton Wool
  • Syringe & needle

Procedure

• Introduce yourself and check the patient's identity
• Discuss procedure with the patient
• Identify artery and select site for sampling
  • Position patient correctly for access to site
• Clean skin & Give intradermal bleb of local anaesthetic
• Wash hands & glove up
• Clean site & drape area
• Heparinise syringe
  • Squirt out excess heparin
• Locate & fix artery between 1st & 2nd fingers of non-dominant hand
• Introduce needle vertically throught the skin & aspirate approx 2ml blood
• Request assistant to press firmly on wound site for 5 minutes
• Inspect site for signs of enlarging haemotoma
• Expel any air bubbles from syringe, cap and take to auto-analyser
• Follow instruction for use and cleaning of anto-analyser
• Dispose of sample and sharps safely
• Check patient's wellbeing
• Clean up trolley and equipment
• Discuss results with superviser
• Able to recognise
  • Metabolic acidosis
  • Respiratory acidosis
  • Respiratory alkalosis