Hypoxia and Medicine

What is all this medical jargon and what does it mean?!?

When I was in hospital these were my stats.. I got these from my medical record and was wondering if someone could help me interpret what they mean and what the abbreviations stand for.. -My GCS (glasgow coma scale) was 3 -oxygen saturation 76% -borderline prolong QT interval -co2 levels 38 -Had a ng tube -ventilated -had an ambu bag -temp 34 degrees what does all this indicate or mean?!? Thanks :)

Public Comments

1. I am not in the health field, but my husband is and my son was hospitalized so I picked up a few things. You need to talk to your doctor though for accurate interpretations. NG tub= nasogastric tube, inserted into the nose and down through the throat, into the stomach, for feeding Oxygen saturation= percentage of oxygen you were actually able to breathe. Your number is low; it should be in the high 90s ideally. ambu bag= resuscitator; used to ventilate and oxygenate GCS= 3 indicates deep unconsciousness I don't know the rest but I guess I need to congratulate you on being able to sit at the computer after your medical ordeal. Please get with your doctor so you know what your plan of treatment is! :)
2. GCS. This measures the level of consciousness, or lack thereof. It measures eye opening, verbal and motor responses. 3 is the deepest coma with no responses. See this chart for more- http://www.medstudents.com.br/neuro/neuro4.htm Oxygen Saturation is the percent of oxygen in your blood. 76% is low. Normal is in the high 90s. This indicates a problem with your lungs / breathing. Borderline/prolonged QT interval is a finding from an EKG which is a test that is performed to check the electrical system of the heart. QT interval can be affected by many conditions including electrolyte imbalance and certain drugs. CO2 level is the amount of carbon dioxide in your blood. 38 is high, normal is in the 20s. This again indicates a respiratory problem (this is connected with the O2 sat problem). NG tube is a tube that is inserted in the nose and extends into the stomach. It is used to deliver food/medication into a person that can't take food in the mouth. It can also be used to suction out stomach contents in certain cases. Ventilated means that mechanical ventilation was used to assist with breathing. As noted above you had several breathing issues (low O2 and high CO2) Ambu bag is a bag attached to a mask. The mask is placed over your nose and mouth. The bag is squeezed which delivers oxygen through your mouth and nose to your lungs. This is a method of ventilation for your respiratory failure. Temperature of 34 degrees celsius is low. There are many reasons for hypothermia. Sounds like you went through some rough times. Hope you feel better. For educational/interest reasons would you mind posting some more info, like what happened to land you in the hospital with these problems?