Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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Observational Study
Utility of venous blood gases for the assessment of traumatic shock: a prospective observational study.
ABG samples are often obtained in trauma patients to assess shock severity. Venous blood gas (VBG) sampling, which is less invasive, has been widely used to assess other forms of shock. The study aim was to determine the agreement between VBG and ABG measurements in trauma. ⋯ In trauma patients VBG and ABG parameters displayed suboptimal agreement. However, in cases flagged as VBG 'false negative' independent review indicated that the availability of an ABG was unlikely to change management.