Impact of blood collection devices and mode of transportation on peripheral venous blood gas parameters

Abstract

Background: Peripheral venous blood (PVB) gas analysis has become an alternative to arterial blood gas (BG) analysis in assessing acid-base balance. This study aimed to compare the effects of blood collection devices and modes of transportation on peripheral venous BG parameters.

Methods: PVB-paired specimens were collected from 40 healthy volunteers into blood gas syringes (BGS) and blood collection tubes (BCT), transported by either a pneumatic tube system (PTS) or human courier (HC) to the clinical laboratory, and compared using a two-way ANOVA or Wilcoxon signed-rank test. To determine clinical significance, the PTS and HC-transported BGS and BCT biases were compared to the total allowable error (TEA).

Results: PVB partial pressure of oxygen (pO₂), fractional oxyhemoglobin (FO₂Hb), fractional deoxyhemoglobin (FHHb), and oxygen saturation (sO₂) showed statistically significant differences between BGS and BCT (p < 0.0001). Compared to HC-transported BGS and BCT, statistically significant increases in pO₂, FO₂Hb, sO₂, oxygen content (only in BCT) (all p < 0.0001), and base excess extracellular (only in BCT; p < 0.0014) concentrations and a statistically significant decrease in FHHb concentration (p < 0.0001) were found in BGS and BCT delivered by PTS. The biases between PTS- and HC-transported BGS and BCT exceeded the TEA for many BG parameters.

Conclusions: Collecting PVB in BCT is unsuitable for pO₂, sO₂, FO₂Hb, FHHb, and oxygen content determinations.

Keywords: Blood gases; Courier; Pneumatic tube system.