Point of Care Blood Gas Testing
Continuing Education Credits
Objectives
- Discuss the basics of blood gas theory and testing.
- Indicate which healthcare personnel and departments use blood gas testing for particular patient populations.
- Discuss regulatory considerations that should be taken into account for point-of-care blood gas testing.
- Describe pre-examination, examination, and post-examination variables that may affect point-of-care blood gas testing.
Course Outline
- Foundations of Gas Exchange and Physiology
- Introduction
- Which specimen type is considered the gold standard for blood gas testing?
- Gas Exchange
- Where does external respiration take place in the body?
- Gas Transport in the Blood
- Measurement of Partial Pressure
- True or False: Partial pressures of O2 or CO2 in the blood measure the majority that is bound to hemoglobin.
- Which electrode is used to measure the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) in blood gas analysis?
- Acid–Base Disorders: Metabolic and Respiratory Acidosis & Alkalosis
- Which compound or ion works within the body's buffering systems to make the blood more basic?
- Blood Gas Analysis Across Care Settings
- Blood Gas Testing Across Healthcare Settings
- Which department or professional would not be considered a potential user of point-of-care blood gas testing?
- Blood Gas Analytes and Extended Testing Parameters
- Measurement Technologies Beyond the Gas Electrodes
- Blood Gas Analysis: Assessment Areas and Key Testing Parameters
- Regulatory Considerations for POC Blood Gas Testing
- Regulatory Considerations for POC Blood Gas Testing
- Regulatory Considerations for POC Blood Gas Testing, continued
- Under CLIA regulations, how frequently must a newly trained blood gas analyzer operator undergo competency assessments during their first year of testing?
- Pre-Examination, Examination, & Post-Examination Variables in POC Blood Gas Testing
- Pre-Examination Variables
- Pre-Examination Variables, continued
- A POC blood gas analyzer user notices that a blood gas sample has a falsely elevated sodium level. What is a possible pre-examination error?
- If an arterial blood gas sample contains air bubbles that are not expelled prior to capping and transport, how will this possibly affect the test results?
- Examination Variables
- Why do calculated oxygen saturation (sO2) results from a standard blood gas analyzer sometimes show a falsely normal reading in patients with dyshemoglobinemia?
- How does a patient's condition of leukocytosis interfere with blood gas testing parameters?
- Post-Examination Variables
- References
- References
Additional Information
Level of Instruction: Basic
Intended Audience: Medical laboratory scientists, medical laboratory technicians, laboratory supervisors, and laboratory managers. This course is also appropriate for MLS and MLT students and pathology residents.
Author Information: Rachel M. Donner, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, has been working in the medical laboratory for thirteen years in different areas of expertise, starting as a generalist in a small hospital and eventually performing COVID-19 testing and research at Northeastern University. She has a master of science in biomedical engineering and biotechnology and has taught several medical laboratory science topics at the collegiate level. Rachel is currently a point-of-care coordinator at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. The author has no conflict of interest to disclose.
Reviewer Information: David Moffa, PhD, has over 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry as an executive manager, clinical laboratory director, and medical laboratory scientist. He is currently a technical consultant for Kentmere Healthcare, Wilmington, DE, and until his retirement, was the Regional Director for LabCorp, Inc. He holds a PhD in medical biochemistry from the School of Medicine at West Virginia University.