Thursday, March 28, 2019

ABG errors

Q: Leukocytosis (High WBC) may falsely   ______________ the PaO2 in arterial blood gas (ABG)? (select one)

A) Increases
B) Decreases


Answer; B

White Blood Cells (WBCs/leukocytes) consumes oxygen and may give falsely low PaO2 in ABG. This can be countered by putting ABG sample on ice and get analyzed within 15 minutes of a draw.


#acid-base
#procedures


References:

1. Bageant, RA. Variations in arterial blood gas measurements due to sampling techniques. Respir Care 1975; 20:565. 

2. Harsten A, Berg B, Inerot S, Muth L. Importance of correct handling of samples for the results of blood gas analysis. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand 1988; 32:365. 

No comments:

Post a Comment