Pseudohypoxemia From Leukocyte Larceny in a Patient With Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

Saeid Mirzai1, Mark Andreae2, Chethan Puttarajappa3

  • 1Department of Medicine, Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dothan, USA.

Cureus
|February 24, 2022
PubMed

Arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis is a generally reliable and frequently employed test for evaluating blood oxygen content. False readings of low oxygen content are rare but can be expected in specific clinical scenarios such as leukemia patients with marked leukocytosis who can develop "leukocyte larceny," a phenomenon of excess oxygen consumption by leukocytes. Awareness of this phenomenon may lead to early recognition and avoidance of unnecessary diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. This case report presents a patient with marked leukocytosis from chronic myelogenous leukemia whose extubation was briefly delayed due to pseudohypoxemia on ABG measurements.

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