Pulmonary embolus (PE) results in a mismatch between alveolar perfusion and ventilation, with potential for development of hypoxemia (reduced pO₂) and hypocapnia (reduced pCO₂), so that arterial blood gases (ABG) are frequently ordered for patients either suffering or suspected of suffering PE.  Is it possible to make ...

If the results of a "‘small snapshot survey" are representative, then there is a need for continued education of UK medical staff in the interpretation of arterial blood gas (ABG) results. Sixty-six medical staff of all grades and from a range of disciplines, all working at one hospital, were asked to complete a...

During air travel more than a half of all passengers suffer a degree of hypoxemia that might trigger prescription of supplemental oxygen therapy if it occurred in hospitalized patients. That is the finding of a recent study which sought to establish the effect that air travel has on measured oxygen saturation.  When...

We are all wary to a greater or lesser extent of the doctor advancing with needle and syringe. Arterial puncture required for blood gas analysis is a particularly painful procedure, certainly more painful than venipuncture.  Many studies have demonstrated that administration of local anesthesia is effective in...

Blood gases are measured from an arterial blood sample to evaluate the respiratory adequacy and oxygen status of the critically ill patient. For the adult patient, the arterial blood is sampled either by arterial puncture or from an indwelling catheter. In neonates and children, the wish to minimize iatrogenic blood...

The collection of arterial specimens with glass syringes and immediate storage in iced water was the accepted industry standard for many years. Practice has changed over the past several years to blood gas sample collection in plastic syringes, likely due to the cost, safety and convenience of plastic. This change ...

Five years of data on percutaneous injuries (PIs) from the EPINet multi-hospital sharps injury database at the University of Virginia were analyzed to understand exposure risks faced by personnel in intensive care/critical care settings. Of 687 PIs in intensive care units (ICUs), nurses had the highest proportion of...

Mechanical ventilation is normally adjusted so that pCO2 is maintained within normal limits (35-45 mmHg). However, the intensity of ventilation required to sustain a normal pCO2 can cause mechanical damage to the lungs of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).  One of the strategies used to minimize ...

Can blood gas results be used to predict respiratory failure in victims of severe trauma? Many such patients present with metabolic acidosis, invariably the result of increased lactic acid production due to hemorrhagic shock. The normal physiological (compensatory) response to preserve a normal pH in those with...

Disturbance of normal acid-base balance is a defining feature of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), the acute and potentially life-threatening complication of diabetes that results from severe insulin deficiency. The cause of the acidosis in such cases is abnormal accumulation in blood of the two ketoacids, acetoacetate and ...