What is the arterial blood test

In our daily life, arterial blood test is mainly used to check the blood circulation in the arteries, while hypertension is diagnosed by checking venous blood. If the circulation speed of arterial blood is too fast, it may be difficult to stop bleeding, so we should pay attention when checking arterial blood. Arterial blood tests mainly check blood routine, blood sugar, blood lipids, coagulation and other functions, which requires everyone to have a certain understanding of the hemostasis method of arterial blood drawing.

Is it arterial blood that is drawn?

Generally speaking, blood is drawn from venous blood. The blood test indicators we are talking about mostly refer to the indicators of peripheral venous blood, such as routine blood tests, blood biochemistry, blood sugar, blood lipids, liver function, kidney function, four coagulation items, tumor markers, etc. Arterial blood will only be drawn when the patient suffers from respiratory failure and requires blood gas analysis in order to understand the true levels of indicators such as arterial oxygen partial pressure and arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure. Because the arteries are located deep, the blood flow is fast, and the pressure is high, it is not easy to find the blood vessels, and it is not easy to stop the bleeding, so the operation is more difficult. The location of veins is relatively superficial, especially after a tourniquet is applied, they are easy to find and easy to stop bleeding, so it is more convenient to draw venous blood.

What does an arterial blood test check?

Arterial blood is generally examined by blood gas analysis. The main things to understand are the partial pressure of oxygen, partial pressure of carbon dioxide, pH value, electrolytes, alkali excess, bicarbonate, lactate value, anion gap, etc. in arterial blood. The pH value, alkali excess and carbon dioxide partial pressure are used to analyze whether there is acid-base disorder and whether it is respiratory or metabolic. The oxygen partial pressure and carbon dioxide partial pressure are used to determine whether there is respiratory failure and whether it is type 1 or type 2 respiratory failure. The anion gap and lactate value are used to determine whether there is capacity deficiency, etc.

Precautions for arterial blood draw

Arterial blood drawing is mainly for testing blood gas analysis and determining blood oxygen concentration, electrolytes, acid-solution balance and other indicators. The following points need to be noted to ensure the accuracy of arterial blood drawing. First, strict aseptic principles must be ensured when drawing blood from the artery to avoid bacterial infection. Second, after successful puncture and blood drawing, it is necessary to prevent air from entering the specimen to avoid errors in the test results. Third, after the blood is drawn, the puncture point needs to be pressed correctly for at least five minutes to avoid bleeding and hematoma formation.