Critically ill patients often require frequent monitoring of blood gases and the arterial blood required for these analyses is most conveniently sampled via an indwelling arterial catheter; arterial catheterization also provides the means for continuous monitoring of blood pressure.  Of all the invasive procedures...

Reprinted from AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CRITICAL CARE, November 2006, Volume 15, No 6, 595-599 Hudson TL, Dukes SF, Reilly K. Use of local anesthesia for arterial puncture. Copyright with permission from American Journal of Critical Care BACKGROUND Except for intravenous therapy, arterial access is the most common...

Tartu University Hospital has improved the quality of blood gas testing in its clinical laboratory and critical care units by introducing an automatic system for blood gas analysis. Not only did the quality of processes in the preanalytical phase improve, but also the automatic calculation of pO₂(A-a), for APACHE...

Arterial blood is the standard sample for blood gas analysis but arterial blood sampling is more painful and hazardous to the patient. Such is the relative convenience and safety of sampling venous blood that several studies have sought to investigate the validity of its use as a substitute for arterial blood.  The...

In health no more than 1-2 % of total hemoglobin is present as methemoglobin. This is a dysfunctional form of hemoglobin that is unable to bind and transport oxygen because the iron atom of the heme moiety is in the ferrous rather then the normal ferric state. Abnormal increase in methemoglobin, a condition called...

The integrity and function of all cells depend on an adequate supply of oxygen. Severe acute illness is frequently associated with inadequate tissue perfusion and/or reduced amount of oxygen in blood (hypoxemia) leading to tissue hypoxia.  If not reversed, tissue hypoxia can rapidly progress to multiorgan failure and ...

Tartu University Hospital has improved the quality of blood gas testing in its clinical laboratory and critical care units by introducing an automatic system for blood gas analysis [1].

Part 1: The physiology of transition The transition from fetus to neonate is a critical time of physiological adaptation. While the majority of term infants complete this process in a smooth and organized fashion, some infants experience a delay in transition or exhibit symptoms of underlying disease. Careful...

Accurate blood gas results depend on a homogeneous blood sample and the necessity for thorough mixing of samples is reflected in written standard operating procedures for blood gas analysis. The results of a recent study suggest, however, that manual mixing techniques routinely used may be inadequate in achieving a...

Modern blood gas analyzers often have incorporated technology that allows hemoglobin measurement on the same blood sample used to measure pH, pCO₂ and pO₂. Clinicians working in a UK neonatal intensive care department where such an instrument was routinely used for blood gases were keen to exploit the newly available...