In this 2018 Nursing School Show video, Christina Rafano provides a concise, beginner‑friendly tutorial on interpreting arterial blood gas (ABG) results. She emphasizes that only three core values—pH, PaCO₂, and HCO₃⁻—are needed to assess a patient’s acid‑base status. For each parameter she explains the normal reference range, what deviations indicate (acidic vs. basic, lung vs. kidney involvement), and offers memorable mnemonics (e.g., “gravity goes down for acid, bass goes up for base”). The video links each value to its primary organ system: pH reflects overall balance, PaCO₂ reflects pulmonary ventilation, and HCO₃⁻ reflects renal bicarbonate handling. Rafano also promotes a free downloadable cheat sheet and example ABG cases to reinforce learning, while encouraging viewer interaction through comments and subscription prompts. The overall goal is to demystify ABG interpretation so nursing students can confidently read patient charts.
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Hey there, friend. In this video we are going to make you a pro at ABG lab value so you won't be confused when you're sitting there staring at a patient's chart. And all those arterial blood gas numbers, right, because those can be super overwhelming sometimes. So I'm going to give you an easy breakdown of ABG values today and make sure that you stick around all the way until the end of the video because I've got a free cheat sheet just for you to help you rock ABG lab values. Plus I threw in some ABG examples in there to help all of this make a lot more sense. So of course subscribe and hit the bell so you never miss out on any other free stuff that I've got for you. Let's do it. Hey there, friend. I'm Christina Rafano and welcome to the Nursing School Show. Alright, so today we're diving into lab values, specifically arterial blood gas values. Alright, so there are three main lab values that you need to look for when it comes to ABGs. That's right. Only three good things come in threes, right? So today's your lucky day. There are really only three ABG lab values that you'll need to focus on and they are the PH, the Paco 2 and the HCO 3. Okay, so that sounds like a bunch of confusing acronyms, right? So we're going to break it down super easy for you. So the first arterial blood gas value that we'll talk about is the PH level. The PH is the balance of acid and base in your body. So our bodies are all always really wanting to stay in balance, right? Too much acid is a bad thing and too much base is a bad thing. So a normal PH of the blood is between 7.35 and 7.45. The lower the pH, the more acidic it is. And the higher the pH, the more basic it is. And here's a little trick on how I remember this. If you pour a bunch of battery acid out or some other kind of acid, where does it all go? Well, gravity, right? It goes down. But what if you crank up the bass in your car? It goes up and around everywhere, right? Gravity doesn't affect sound, so a more acidic PH is lower and a more basic PH is higher. So an arterial blood gas pH lower than 7.4 is more acidic and a pH higher than 7.4 is more basic. Now leave a comment in the comments below and let me know what your favorite song is to crank up the base to in your car. I really want to know what your favorite song is, so let me know in the comments below. Alright, so now let's talk about the next arterial blood gas value, the Paco 2. This stands for partial pressure of carbon dioxide. And carbon dioxide is, yes, an acid. So the Paco 2 measures the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood or the amount of acid in the blood. Now, a normal Paco 2 is 35 to 45 milliliters mercury. So if it's higher than 45, that means there's way too much carbon dioxide in the blood, meaning that there's too much acid in the blood. And if it lower, that means that there's not enough carbon dioxide in the blood or not enough acid in the blood. Now, the Paco 2 value represents the lungs because the lungs are in charge of what? Breathing. And so they balance carbon dioxide. Right? Because they either retain it or they get rid of it based on their breathing patterns. So if there is a higher level of Paco 2, you know that the lungs are retaining too much carbon dioxide. And if it's lower, you know that the lungs are getting rid of too much carbon dioxide. So if the Paco2 value is messed up, you need to look to see what's going on with the lungs, because the Paco2 value represents the lungs. Now, did you check out that lab value there? Take a look at this fancy pants trick right here. Yeah, that just happened. If a normal pH value is 7.35 to 7.45, a normal carbon dioxide is 35 to 45. Boom. It's that easy. And that should help you remember it. Now let's take a look at the third and final ABG value, the HCO3 level. Now this one represents the amount of base in the blood, the bicarbonate level. A normal HCO3 lab value is 22 to 26 milliequivalents per liter. So if it's higher than 26, that means there's way too much bicarbonate in the blood, meaning too much base. And if it's lower than 22, that means there's not enough bicarbonate or not enough base in the blood. Now the HCO3 level represents the kidneys. The kidneys are in charge of making bicarbonate. So if this number is higher or lower than normal, look at the kidneys. Okay, so There are your three arterial blood gas values. The pH, which is normally 7.35 to 7.45. The Paco 2, which is normally 35 to 45, and that represents the lungs, and the HCO3 level, which is normally 22 to 26, and that one represents the kidneys. If you want to deep dive into how to interpret a full arterial blood gas analysis, we have a video about that, so make sure to check that out. I'll put a description down below. And of course, don't forget to download your free cheat sheet that I have for you that breaks all of this down so you can always remember these arterial blood gas values. And now I want to hear from you. Let me know in the comments below what your favorite song is to crank up the bass to. So tell me what your favorite song is in the comments below. And of course, be sure to subscribe and hit that bell so you never miss a video. Friend. Thank you so much for watching. Now go become the nurse that God created only you to be, and I will see you next time here on the Nursing School Show.
