This is the best image I could find to explain arterial lines.
A few pearls of wisdom:
Always ensure there is NS in your pressure bag! Hanging D5 and then obtaining glucose checks from the aline will result in falsely elevated BG and inaccurate treatment.
If your waveform suddenly looks dampened, ensure your pressure bag is adequately inflated.
Arterial line setups are not universal. Different institutions have different tubing. Some have blood savers while others require you to use a syringe to obtain your waste blood.
On tube changing days, you must change your tubing to the hub of the catheter – failing to do so results in bacteria build up in the bottom portion of the tubing. Grab a friend to help occlude the artery while you do this!
Diaz, G., & Diaz, G. (2021, July 21). Arterial lines – Abnormal arterial waveforms: – underdampened: . . . GrepMed. https://www.grepmed.com/images/13479/arterial-artline-lines-criticalcare-diagnosis