title: A questionaire study evaluating the knowledge and approach by physicians about arterial blood gas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Arterial blood pressure analysis is a frequently applied method in the diagnosis and follow-up of respiratory insufficiency and in the treatment of patients under risk. It is very important to take and analyze the blood gas sample properly. Therefore, a questionary study was performed which evaluated the knowledge and the approach of doctors working in various specialties.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionary form consisting of 27 questions were filled by 100 specialist physicians who participated in the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was observed that doctors participating in our study had partly sufficient knowledge regarding administration and evaluation of arterial blood gas. It was considered that in intensive care unit experience of participant doctors during their intern periods was a very important factor. But it was observed that most of the participant specialist physicians performed Allen test before radial artery puncture, and they frequently preferred femoral artery for their first puncture option, and they did not pay attention in the proper transportation of the samples and in sending cultures from arterial cannula against risk of infection. The majority of doctors who participated in our study stated that they would like to receive training in arterial blood gas administration and evaluation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, to take samples from arterial blood gas is an invasive operation and if not performed correctly it can cause complications to develop. Transportation and evaluation is as much important as sampling. It is very important to provide sufficient education to candidates of specialist physicians and to organize training courses aimed to increase their knowledge and experience during the period of their speciality without taking their speciality into account.
authors.affiliation: Departments of General Surgery, Canakkale 18 Mart University Medical Faculty, Canakkale,Turkey.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cikman
authors.affiliation: Departments of Neurology, Canakkale 18 Mart University Medical Faculty, Canakkale,Turkey.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozkan
authors.affiliation: Departments of Anesthesiology, Canakkale 18 Mart University Medical Faculty, Canakkale,Turkey.
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Kiraz
authors.affiliation: Departments of General Surgery, Canakkale 18 Mart University Medical Faculty, Canakkale,Turkey.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Karacaer
authors.affiliation: Departments of General Surgery, Canakkale 18 Mart University Medical Faculty, Canakkale,Turkey.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ocakli
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Dokuz Eylul University Medical Faculty Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hanci
authors.affiliation: Departments of General Surgery, Canakkale 18 Mart University Medical Faculty, Canakkale,Turkey.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karaayvaz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D001800:Blood Specimen Collection / Q000379:methods; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians; D011677:Punctures / Q000379:methods; D017534:Radial Artery; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey