Removing air bubbles from a blood gas sample

Achieve sample integrity by removing air bubbles from a blood gas sample.

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During the collection of arterial blood, air bubbles in the syringe need to be expelled immediately to avoid bias on the results. 

Expel air bubbles from a blood gas sample by gently tapping on the side of the syringe to bring the air bubbles to the top. Then expel them by pressing the plunger. You can place the tip of the syringe to a piece of gauze. 

However, you can also expel the air bubbles through a vented tip cap, limiting the risk of blood contact. [1]

Effect of air bubbles in a blood gas sample

Air bubbles in blood gas samples may have a bias effect on the pO2 value. Depending on the initial pO2 value of the blood, the pO2 bias on blood gas results will be either positive or negative. The bias is often positive.

However, samples with high pO2 values can produce falsely lowered results because of the equilibration with the oxygen in the air bubble.

Effects on the patient and healthcare professionals

The presence of air bubbles in a blood gas sample can lead to wrong diagnosis. If false high or low pO2 is not recognized it may lead to errors when interpreting the results.

Additionally, if during the process of expelling air bubbles and blood into a piece of gauze there is contact with blood you may be exposed to blood-borne pathogen. You risk exposing yourself to blood-borne pathogens when expelling air without using vented safeTIPCAP.

Expel air bubbles from a blood gas sample

The vented safeTIPCAP forms a closed system, allowing you to expel air bubbles and minimizing the risk of blood exposure.

The vented safeTIPCAP helps to seal the sample to prevent contact with atmospheric air. The safeTIPCAP stays on during aspiration of blood into the Radiometer analyzer so you minimize the risk of blood contact.  

The safePICO arterial blood gas syringe with safeTIPCAP

Easily expel air bubbles from an arterial blood gas sample while limiting the risk of blood contact using the safeTIPCAP on the safePICO syringe. The vented safeTIPCAP helps seal the sample immediately after blood collection and stays on during blood gas analysis.

The safePICO syringe is designed to help you reduce the risk of preanalytical errors. In addition to help remove air bubbles safely from the sample, safePICO can help to reduce the risk of hemolysis due to mixing, needlestick injuries, a clotted blood sample, or patient-sample mix-up.

More information

References

1. Dukic L et al. Blood gas testing and related measurements: National recommendations on behalf of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine.

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