[Gasometric arterial extraction]

Gasometric arterial extraction comprises a simple, painful and invasive technique through which a nurse obtains arterial blood by a direct puncture of an artery be it radial, brachial or femoral, or to insert a cannula in a radial artery This method serves to evaluate the pulmonary gas interchange and to study alterations in acid-base balances. The authors' objective is to unify criteria for extraction, conservation and transfer of samples to laboratory. To carry out our study, the authors made a wide bibliographical review on the subject and arrived at the following conclusions: All the articles reviewed counseled medical personnel to follow the "SEPAR" (Spanish Association of Lung and Thoracic Surgery) norm, but there is no unanimous recommendation regarding the type of local anesthetics to use before making the puncture. Nursing personnel are those responsible for extracting arterial blood. The majority of authors coincide stating that the conservation of the sample, the time which lapses after its extraction and the extraction conditions affect the reliability of the results.