Biomaterial Database

Comparison of capillary and arterial blood gas measurements in neonates. 1988

B I McLain, and J Evans, and P R Dear

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Leeds, St James's University Hospital.

One hundred and fifty eight paired arterial and capillary blood samples were obtained from 41 sick preterm infants in their first week of life and the pH, and PCO2, and PO2 concentrations were measured. Half of the capillary samples were obtained from unwarmed heels and half from heels warmed to 40 degrees C. A potentially significant discrepancy (arbitrarily defined as 0.05 units for pH. 1 kPa for PCO2, and 3 kPa for PO2) was found in 19 (24%) of cases for pH, in 9 (11%) for PCO2 and in 21 (26%) for PO2. Warming the heel produced no significant improvement in results. We conclude that capillary blood provides satisfactory measurements of pH and PCO2 for all but the most critical purposes, but that the usefulness of capillary PO2 estimations is limited to the exclusion of hypoxia.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007231	Infant, Newborn	An infant during the first 28 days after birth.	Neonate,Newborns,Infants, Newborn,Neonates,Newborn,Newborn Infant,Newborn Infants
D007235	Infant, Premature, Diseases	Diseases that occur in PREMATURE INFANTS.
D010100	Oxygen	An element with atomic symbol O, atomic number 8, and atomic weight [15.99903; 15.99977]. It is the most abundant element on earth and essential for respiration.	Dioxygen,Oxygen-16,Oxygen 16
D010313	Partial Pressure	The pressure that would be exerted by one component of a mixture of gases if it were present alone in a container. (From McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed)	Partial Pressures,Pressure, Partial,Pressures, Partial
D001800	Blood Specimen Collection	The taking of a blood sample to determine its character as a whole, to identify levels of its component cells, chemicals, gases, or other constituents, to perform pathological examination, etc.	Blood Specimen Collections,Collection, Blood Specimen,Collections, Blood Specimen,Specimen Collection, Blood,Specimen Collections, Blood
D002196	Capillaries	The minute vessels that connect arterioles and venules.	Capillary Beds,Sinusoidal Beds,Sinusoids,Bed, Sinusoidal,Beds, Sinusoidal,Capillary,Capillary Bed,Sinusoid,Sinusoidal Bed
D002245	Carbon Dioxide	A colorless, odorless gas that can be formed by the body and is necessary for the respiration cycle of plants and animals.	Carbonic Anhydride,Anhydride, Carbonic,Dioxide, Carbon
D006358	Hot Temperature	Presence of warmth or heat or a temperature notably higher than an accustomed norm.	Heat,Hot Temperatures,Temperature, Hot,Temperatures, Hot
D006365	Heel	The back (or posterior) of the foot in PRIMATES, found behind the ankle and distal to the toes.	Sinus Tarsi,Heels,Sinus Tarsus
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man