NURS 201 - Health Assessment ABG Interpretation Cheat Sheet (Respiratory vs Metabolic + Compensation)
Ohio State University
NURS 201 - Health Assessment | Study Guide

Overview
A fast ABG workflow students can use on exams and in clinical: acid-base identification, compensation patterns, and the most common interpretation traps.

Key topics
•normal ABG ranges and what each measures
•ROME method for acid-base identification
•metabolic vs respiratory patterns
•expected compensation rules
•common ABG scenarios (DKA, COPD, vomiting, sepsis)

Suggested study tasks
•classify 12 ABG sets (primary disorder plus compensation)
•explain ROME in one sentence
•match 8 clinical vignettes to an ABG pattern
•decide if compensation is appropriate
•write a short nursing priority for 5 cases

Common pitfalls
•mixing up metabolic vs respiratory
•calling partial compensation normal
•forgetting to evaluate oxygenation separately
•over-trusting pH without checking PaCO2 and HCO3