Reference Intervals for Venous Blood Gas in Healthy Adults: A One-Year Prospective Study

Area of Science:

• Clinical Chemistry
• Diagnostic Medicine
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Venous blood gas (VBG) analysis is increasingly used as a safer alternative to arterial blood gas analysis.
• A lack of established reference intervals for VBG parameters hinders accurate interpretation.
• This study addresses the need for reliable VBG reference ranges in a specific population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish reference intervals for key venous blood gas parameters in healthy adults.
• To provide a dependable standard for the interpretation of VBG results.
• To address the scarcity of published VBG data from Pakistani institutions.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 182 healthy adults (96 female) aged 20-76 years.
• Venous blood samples were collected using pre-heparinized syringes from peripheral veins.
• Blood gas analysis was performed within 30 minutes using the EasyBloodGasTM analyzer.

Main Results:

• Established reference intervals for VBG parameters: pH (7.29-7.43), pO2 (25-70 mmHg), pCO2 (35-59 mmHg), bicarbonate (22-30 mmol/L).
• Determined reference intervals for electrolytes: Na+ (134-144 mmol/L), K+ (3.1-4.6 mmol/L), Cl- (101-110 mmol/L), and ionized calcium (1.12-1.30 mmol/L).
• Non-parametric statistical analysis was employed for all measured parameters.

Conclusions:

• This study successfully determined reference ranges for VBG measurements in healthy individuals.
• The established reference intervals offer significant insights into standard ranges for pH, oxygen, carbon dioxide, bicarbonate, and electrolytes.
• These findings provide a reliable standard for clinicians to accurately interpret VBG data.