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Updated: May 13, 2026

Continuous Manual Exchange Transfusion for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease: An Efficient Method to Avoid Iron Overload
Published on: March 14, 2017
Erroneously low continuous ScvO2 reading due to red blood cells transfusion
P Grassi1, D Leone, C Vassallo
1Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria, Ospedale di Cattinara, Trieste, Italy.
Abstract:
Hemoglobin oxygen saturation in superior vena cava (ScvO(2)) is used as a parameter to guide hemodynamic management in shock patients and it can be continuously read through a central venous catheter equipped with a fiberoptic spectrophotometric probe (Edwards PreSep catheter) connected to a specific monitor (Edwards Vigileo). We report of an episode of erroneous ScvO(2) reading by this technology in a patient with septic shock who was receiving an erythrocytes transfusion through the PreSep catheter main lumen. We think this artifact should be known by intensivists since it can lead to ScvO(2) misinterpretation and subsequent erroneous therapeutic decisions.
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