by 
The Curious Bag
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An arterial blood gas test, familiarly known as a blood gas or ABG, gives your doctor an overall look at your oxygenation status and the balance between acids and bases in your body (your metabolic status).
Identification
In order to do an ABG, a nurse, phlebotomist, respiratory therapist or doctor will draw a small amount of blood from a superficial artery, usually one near your wrist. ABGs can also be taken from a central line that's been inserted in the ICU or for home therapy.
Effect
Because there's a risk of bleeding from the artery, the person drawing your ABG will apply pressure to the puncture site for several minutes after the procedure.
Features
The ABG results will show these readings for your arterial blood: pH (acidity/alkalinity), PaO2 (partial pressure of dissolved oxygen), SaO2 (oxygen saturation), HCO3 (bicarbonate level), and PaCO2 (amount of dissolved carbon dioxide).
Significance
Your doctor will consider all of these readings in context to determine whether you have a respiratory problem, a metabolic problem or both.
Warning
An arterial blood draw is a little more painful than the venous blood draws you may have had in the past for regular blood tests.
Source:
Orlando Health: Interpretation of the Arterial Blood Gas
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