M. Watkinspitchford et al., THE EFFECT OF SOLUBILITY AND HYPERLIPIDEMIA ON PERIOPERATIVE ARTERIALBLOOD-GAS TENSIONS, Journal of clinical anesthesia, 9(4), 1997, pp. 331-333
A case is presented to illustrate the need for technical care when han
dling blood gas samples. The physics of solubility are used to show ho
w samples changed their oxygen tension (pO(2)) during handling while i
nvestigating a clinical case to show the effect of hyperlipidemia on b
lood gases. It appeared that inadvertent access to air allowed atmosph
eric oxygen to equilibrate with the sample. The physical laws predicti
ng the effect of partial pressure and temperature on gas solubility in
a liquid are illustrated by the pO(2) levels measured in this case. E
ffects due to hyperlipidemia were not observed. The calculations are d
escribed in detail. Brief suggestions for sample handling to avoid mis
leading results from such cases are discussed. (C) 1997 by Elsevier Sc
ience Inc.