[Inducibility of arterialized capillary blood gases and acid-base balance determination ]

The reproducibility of determining gases and acid-base balance (ABB) in the arterialized capillary blood taken by 1 and 2 earlap punctures at an 3-15-min interval for up to 7-28 days was studied in 171 subjects (16 healthy individuals and 155 patients with tuberculosis and other diseases of the lung. No relationship was found between the reproducibility of paO2, PaCO2, and SO2, the duration test intervals and that for BE, SB, and pH. The opinion as to the time course of changes in arterialized capillary blood gases and ABB may be regarded as justified only with the changes in paO2 > 4 mm Hg, paCO2 > 2 mm Hg, SO2 > 1%, BE > 0.5 mmol x l(-1), SB > 0.6 mmol x l(-1), and pH > 0.01 at shorter test intervals, BE > 1.1 mmol x l(-1), SB > 0.8 mmoll x l(-1), and pH > 0.02 at longer test intervals.