Journal of medical engineering & technology
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Comparative Study
Continuous measurement of blood gases using a combined electrochemical and spectrophotometric sensor.
The use of a combined electrochemical and fibreoptic continuous intra-arterial blood gas sensor is described. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the performance of the sensor in 10 patients in the intensive therapy unit following insertion through a femoral arterial cannula. To our knowledge this is the first published study on the valuation of an intravascular blood gas sensor through a femoral arterial cannula. ⋯ There was a degree of imprecision of the PCO2 sensor, the reasons for which are discussed. In summary, the intra-arterial sensor functioned well when inserted into the femoral artery in post-cardiopulmonary bypass patients. There were no complications attributable to sensor placement.