Umbilical cord blood gas analysis provides objective evidence of neonatal condition at birth; a particular utility of the test is to identify those babies who have suffered significant oxygen deficit prior to delivery. Traditional obstetric practice is to clamp the umbilical cord within seconds of delivery but some...

With the use of a new Data Management System (DMS) software program [1], the majority of Point Of Care Testing (POCT) equipment throughout the Waikato District Health Board region has been connected to the Laboratory Information System (LIS) and the Hospital Information System (HIS). Prior to the new DMS, viewing...

Respiratory acidosis and alkalosis are characterized by primary change in pCO₂ (increase in the case of acidosis and decrease in the case of alkalosis). Secondary physiological compensation, aimed at returning blood pH to normal, is evident in blood gas results as a change in bicarbonate concentration (increase in the ...

Two very different reviews of acid-base pathophysiology are recently published. The first, written by a nurse educator is a comprehensive overview and serves as an introduction to the topic. The approach is familiar and reflects standard physiology texts.  After a very brief synthesis of the significance of...

In health the partial pressure of oxygen (pO₂) in arterial blood is maintained between 10.6 and 13.3 kPa (80-100 mmHg). Hypoxemia (reduced arterial pO₂) is usually a signal of significant respiratory or cardiac disease and respiratory failure is defined as arterial blood pO₂ < 8 kPa ( So when arterial blood gas...

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...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a common condition of the elderly affecting an estimated 10 % of those over the age of 60 years, is characterized by an accelerated long-term decline in lung function due to inflammation-induced lung damage. Arterial blood gases are routinely used to monitor patients with...

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...

Umbilical cord blood gas analysis has for many years been recommended for assessment of newborn babies after high-risk delivery associated with possible hypoxic stress and consequent risk of permanent brain damage. More recently there has been an increasing trend towards its routine use after all deliveries.  With...

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...