Author
Abstract
Background and Purpose: Arterial blood gases measurement are the most frequently performed blood test in ICU. Sodium Heparin, which is vastly used as an anticoagulant in analyzing blood gases, Causes different densities of heparin in blood samples which in turn changes the test results when samples are of various volumes. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the effect of heparin density on the arterial blood gases.
Methods and Materials: This experimental study was doue on 30 arterial blood samples with three groups of 7.5% , 15% and 30% volume of heparin to blood sample (heparinized with 1cc=5000 u) and a control group (120 samples) heparinized with 1cc=1000 u.
Results: No significant change was found in the changes by ABG parameters to the density of 75 ou per- 1cc of blood but it was significant in the density of 1500 unit per 1cc of blood in most measured parameters.
Conclusion: According to the findings, it is suggested that, in order to reduce the error, in sampling the arterial blood gases the amount of the blood drawn into syringes after heparinizing must be more than 10 times the amount of residual heparin in syringes. In other words, if heparin amounts to 75-375u in 1cc of blood, the density of heparin will not affect the results of arterial blood gases.
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