Arterial blood gas analysis is a commonly ordered test in the intensive care unit and the results are required to adjust the ventilator settings through all phases of mechanical ventilation including initiation, maintenance and weaning. Since important clinical decisions are made based on the results of these tests, they have to be very reliable. Many errors can creep up in the process of obtaining the test results. The measurement of the parameters pH, pCO2, and pO2 is vulnerable to a number of pre- analytical errors. Up to 70% of all errors in blood gas testing occurs in the pre-analytical phase and fortunately many of them can be prevented. This article is intended to discuss the pre-analytical issues during blood gas sampling and how to avoid those issues.
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