Arterial blood gas test

An arterial blood gas (ABG) test measures the amounts of arterial gases, such as oxygen and carbon dioxide. An ABG test requires that a small volume of blood be drawn from the radial artery with a syringe and a thin needle, but sometimes the femoral artery in the groin or another site is used. The blood can also be drawn from an arterial catheter. ABG samples originally were sent from the clinic to the medical laboratory for analysis. Newer equipment lets the analysis be done also as point-of-care testing, depending on the equipment available in each clinic.

Arterial blood gas test

An arterial blood gas (ABG) test measures the amounts of arterial gases, such as oxygen and carbon dioxide. An ABG test requires that a small volume of blood be drawn from the radial artery with a syringe and a thin needle, but sometimes the femoral artery in the groin or another site is used. The blood can also be drawn from an arterial catheter. ABG samples originally were sent from the clinic to the medical laboratory for analysis. Newer equipment lets the analysis be done also as point-of-care testing, depending on the equipment available in each clinic.