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...

As point-of-care testing (POCT) becomes more popular in healthcare institutions because of its ability to deliver high-quality results at the bedside, point-of-care coordinators (POCCs) are becoming increasingly tasked with controlling costs. To deal with this responsibility, POCCs often turn to equipment to solve...

Lately, everybody seems to be talking about reducing testing errors and improving patient safety. But where do you begin? The answer may be to look beyond the error itself and instead focus on what is causing it. Michael Astion, Associate Professor, Director of the University of Washington’s Reference Laboratory...

In a recent editorial, UK blood-transfusion experts argue that the spiraling cost of maintaining and improving the safety of the blood supply is becoming increasingly less cost effective.  Over the past ten years the cost of the UK blood supply doubled in real terms from GBP 250 to GBP 500 million.  Most of this...

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...

A raised serum bilirubin (hyperbilirubinemia) and consequent jaundice is a common feature during the neonatal period; more than half of all newborns develop mild jaundice – with serum bilirubin rarely exceeding 150 µmol/L – during the first week or two of life. This transitory phenomenon usually resolves spontaneously ...

Preterm, very-low-birth-weight babies require intensive laboratory testing, including frequent blood gas analysis, during the first few weeks of life. It has been estimated that the weekly blood loss associated with phlebotomy for blood testing can amount to as much as 30 % of the total blood volume of these tiny,...

Venous blood is an acceptable alternative to arterial blood for estimation of bicarbonate by blood gas analysis, according to the results of a recently published Australian study. Over a six-month study period, clinicians at the Emergency Department of Western Hospital in Melbourne simultaneously sampled venous and...