Blood Gas Analysis Lab
Blood Gas Analysis at the Core Laboratory at University Hospital, London, Ontario.
Blood is one of the most important fluids in the human body. It helps carry nutrients such as oxygen to the cells in the body and transports out wastes like carbon dioxide and other metabolites from these cells. Since blood is the medium through which the different organs and tissues in our body communicates, keeping a close eye on the constituents of a blood sample would provide a good indication of the functioning of the human body.
Blood gas tests are ordered for patients who might have symptoms of pH imbalance, extreme levels of oxygen/ carbon dioxide, or in order to evaluate the functioning of organs such as the kidneys and the presence of disorders …show more content…
There are two analyzers present in this laboratory. Both machines can run tests for levels of pH, partial pressure of carbon dioxide, partial pressure of oxygen, Na+, K+, Ca++, and hematocrit (Hct). One of the machines however, is also capable of running glucose and lactate tests as well.
One other final blood constituent that is also analyzed in this analyzer is for carboxyhemoglobin. If a sample is to be tested for carboxyhemoglobin, the sample must be injected from the syringe into the GEM cuvette. The cuvette is then inserted into another analyzer in order to test carboxyhemoglobin …show more content…
The Gem Premiere 3000 contains a cartridge that has electrodes with all the calibration measurements for the machine. The analyzer is checked daily for printer paper. Every week, quality control tests are run in order to ensure the accurate working of the Gem Premiere 3000. The two control tests administered are the ‘Critical Care QC ContrIL9’ and the ‘GEM critCheck’. The first control tests for the proper analysis of of pH, partial pressure of carbon dioxide, partial pressure of oxygen, Na+, K+ and Ca++, while the second control tests for hematocrit low and normal levels (UCSF Medical Center, 2011). The cartilage with electrodes for calibration measurements expires every three weeks. However, if there is a power cut or an issue with the analyzer, the cartridge must be changed immediately before any other tests are conducted. Once the cartridge has been replaced, it takes half an hour for the cartridge to warm up after the CVP control has been run and before tests can be run
Blood is one of the most important fluids in the human body. It helps carry nutrients such as oxygen to the cells in the body and transports out wastes like carbon dioxide and other metabolites from these cells. Since blood is the medium through which the different organs and tissues in our body communicates, keeping a close eye on the constituents of a blood sample would provide a good indication of the functioning of the human body.
Blood gas tests are ordered for patients who might have symptoms of pH imbalance, extreme levels of oxygen/ carbon dioxide, or in order to evaluate the functioning of organs such as the kidneys and the presence of disorders …show more content…
There are two analyzers present in this laboratory. Both machines can run tests for levels of pH, partial pressure of carbon dioxide, partial pressure of oxygen, Na+, K+, Ca++, and hematocrit (Hct). One of the machines however, is also capable of running glucose and lactate tests as well.
One other final blood constituent that is also analyzed in this analyzer is for carboxyhemoglobin. If a sample is to be tested for carboxyhemoglobin, the sample must be injected from the syringe into the GEM cuvette. The cuvette is then inserted into another analyzer in order to test carboxyhemoglobin …show more content…
The Gem Premiere 3000 contains a cartridge that has electrodes with all the calibration measurements for the machine. The analyzer is checked daily for printer paper. Every week, quality control tests are run in order to ensure the accurate working of the Gem Premiere 3000. The two control tests administered are the ‘Critical Care QC ContrIL9’ and the ‘GEM critCheck’. The first control tests for the proper analysis of of pH, partial pressure of carbon dioxide, partial pressure of oxygen, Na+, K+ and Ca++, while the second control tests for hematocrit low and normal levels (UCSF Medical Center, 2011). The cartilage with electrodes for calibration measurements expires every three weeks. However, if there is a power cut or an issue with the analyzer, the cartridge must be changed immediately before any other tests are conducted. Once the cartridge has been replaced, it takes half an hour for the cartridge to warm up after the CVP control has been run and before tests can be run