Arterialization of Venous Blood for Blood Gas Analysis in Dogs

Source 

Shiroshita Y, Tanaka R, Shimizu M, Yamane Y. Cephalic and saphenous venous blood collected by continuous heating of the paws compared with arterial blood for measurement of blood gas values in well-perfused dogs. J Vet Intern Med. 2023;37(4):1376-1389. doi:10.1111/jvim.16745

Research Note

Venous blood from an arterialized dorsal hand vein can be substituted for arterial blood to measure pH, PCO₂, and lactate in humans. Arterialization in the hand entails heating the hand to 107.6°F to 109.4°F (42°C-43°C) for 10 to 15 minutes, causing venous blood to become more similar to arterial blood.

This study compared blood gas and acid–base values of arterial blood with arterialized venous blood from the cephalic (ACV) and saphenous (ASV) veins in dogs with experimentally induced metabolic and respiratory acid–base disorders. Venous blood was arterialized by continuously heating the paws to 98.6°F (37°C). Base excess, pH, PCO₂, PO₂, and bicarbonate concentration were measured in each disordered state, and arterial blood, ACV, and ASV values were compared. Results demonstrated good agreement of ACV and ASV with arterial blood in pH, bicarbonate, and base excess values; ASV samples were more identical to arterial blood samples than ACV samples. PCO₂ values of ASV samples did not exactly match arterial blood samples but were within clinically allowable limits; PCO₂ values of ACV samples were not within these limits.