CBG stands for which measurement used in prehospital care?

• A. Capillary Blood Glucose
• B. Central Blood Gas
• C. Capillary Brain Gas
• D. Cardiac Blood Glucose

Answer: (A)

Capillary Blood Glucose is the quick bedside test EMS providers use to check a patient’s blood glucose from a fingerstick. In the field, this measurement helps identify hypoglycemia as a possible cause of altered mental status, weakness, seizures, or coma, enabling immediate treatment decisions such as giving glucose. The sample comes from capillary blood and is read by a handheld glucometer, with results guiding urgent care. Central blood gas refers to lab-based gas analysis from a central line, which isn’t a routine prehospital test; brain gas isn’t a standard measurement, and “cardiac blood glucose” isn’t a recognized prehospital test. So, the measurement described by CBG in prehospital care is Capillary Blood Glucose.