Bedside Blood Gas Interpretation (24)
Mastering Blood Gases
Basic Principles, Single Acid-Base Disorders, Clues to Mixed Acid Base Disorders, Differential Diagnosis
Please note there is a new version of the course.
The course is an accredited learning activity for 7.5 hours for medical and nursing continuing professional development.
For GPs the course is an accredited CPD activity for the 2023-2025 triennium with ACRRM (Course Code : 32341: 1.5 Educational Activity and 6 Reviewing Performance Hours) and RACGP (Course Code : 756463: 1.5 Educational Activity and 6 Reviewing Performance Hours).
Latest Course update: January 2024
Interpreting blood gases is a tricky business. In this course, we will put aside the complex physiology and focus on the clinical approach to blood gases. During the course, we discover a few simple rules that assist with the bedside interpretation of acid base disorders. The rules guide us to recognising the presence of an acid base disorder, naming the acid base disturbance(s) and providing a differential diagnosis for the disorder.
The course differs from others on the LearnEM website. It is a "mastery course" and is delivered in a series steps. At each step there is a short video that explains a concept followed by a series of case examples provided in the form of (quiz) questions. The aim at each stage is to become confident (i.e. achieve mastery) of the concept before moving to the next step in the course. Each quiz provides you with the opportunity to practice a specific skill essential for blood gas interpretation and it is through this repeated practice and mastery of the process that you will become a "Grand Master" in the art of blood gas interpretation.
Outline of the course
1. Basic Principles
2. Blood Gas Patterns in Acid Base Disorders
3. The Body Fights Back: Compensation in Acid Base Disorders
4. Respiratory Compensation in Metabolic Disorders
5. Renal Compensation in Respiratory Acid Base Disorders
6. Toward the Climax of the Blood Gas Drama
7. Respiratory Acidosis – Acute, Chronic, or Mixed Disorder?
8. Differential Diagnosis of Acid Base Disorders
9. The Ultimate Acid Base Experience!