Severe pulmonary insufficiency: PaO2 < 55 Pa CO2 > 45 Uncompensated hypercarbia ≡ unstable / high-risk e.g. for postoperative complications such as pulmonary and right heart failure: pH < 7.3 (if ↑ PaCO2) Analysing ABGs: The first step is to characterise the result as acidaemia or alkalaemia: look at the pH using 7.40 as the … Continue reading Blood Gas analysis