Understanding ABGs and Lung Function Tests

Titles in the Pocket Tutor series give practical guidance on subjects that medical students and foundation doctors need help with “on the go”, at a highly affordable price that puts them within reach of those rotating through modular courses or working on attachment.

Topics reflect information needs stemming from today’s integrated undergraduate & foundation courses:

• Common investigations (ECG, ABGs,etc)
• Clinical skills (procedures, patient examination, etc)
• Professional development (ethics, statistics, etc)

• Clinical specialties that students perceive as too small to merit a textbook (psychiatry, renal medicine)

Key Points

• Highly affordable price and convenient pocket size format – fits in back pocket!

• All hospital doctors deal with ABGs (arterial blood gases) but knowledge is commonly assumed and students lack confidence interpreting them

• Logical, sequential content: relevant basic science, understanding normal results and the building blocks of abnormal results, then clinical disorders
• Clinical disorders illustrated by representative test results and brief accompanying text that clearly identifies the defining feature of the result (in other words, what is it that makes this diabetic ketoacidosis?)

Muhunthan ThillaiMBBS MRCP
Specialty Trainee & Research Fellow, Respiratory Medicine, Imperial College London

Keith HattotuwaMBBS FRCP
Consultant Physician & Senior Lecturer Respiratory Medicine, Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford