Q; What is the major pitfall in using glucose level via arterial line sampling?


Answer: Iatrogenic hypoglycemia

As per "Guidelines for arterial line blood sampling: preventing hypoglycaemic brain injury 2014 - from The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland", published in september 2014

"Drawing samples from an indwelling arterial line is the method of choice for frequent blood analysis in adult critical care areas. Sodium chloride 0.9% is the recommended flush solution for maintaining the patency of arterial catheters, but it is easy to confuse with glucose-containing bags on rapid visual examination. The unintentional use of a glucose-containing solution has resulted in artefactually high glucose concentrations in blood samples drawn from the arterial line, leading to insulin administration causing hypoglycaemia and fatal neuroglycopenic brain injury."


Full Guideline can be read @

https://www.aagbi.org/sites/default/files/Arterial%20line%20blood%20sampling.pdf