Software application to calculate arterial blood gas values from venous blood
Arterial blood gas is the gold standard for acid-base and blood gas testing in critical care. However, arterial punctures are complex, painful for the patient and come with a risk of side effects such as haematoma and infections.1,2
Over the recent years there has been an increasing trend towards the use of venous blood, as it is more easily accessible and sample collection is less painful for the patient.6 While pH is largely similar between venous and arterial sampling, the venous pCO2 and pO2 are different and therefore with limitations for what clinical applications venous blood gas can be used for.6
Roche v-TAC software helps to overcome these limitations.
Roche v-TAC software calculates arterial blood gas (ABG) values from venous peripheral blood gas measurement, combined with arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2), measured by a pulse oximeter.
The precision of the v-TAC calculated values is comparable to that of repeated ABG values for blood gas parameters, including pH, pCO2 and pO2 (up to 10 kPa).5
When screening patients, v-TAC reduces the need for separate arterial punctures, as robust arterial blood gas values can be calculated from venous blood.6,7
With v-TAC, arterial blood gas testing can be done by other staff groups, which improves efficiency and reduces the workload of doctors and specialty-trained staff.6,7
Arterial punctures can be painful and with a risk of side effects. The use of venous blood will improve the patient experience and reduce the risk of infections and complications such as hematoma.6,7
It is very simple to operate Roche v-TAC in daily clinical practice. The software can be used with the cobas b 123 POC system (configurations 3 and 4) and cobas b 221 system from Roche. Additionally, it can work seamlessly with blood gas analyzers from other leading manufacturers.
After implementation, the operational workflow is as follows:
The v-TAC Software is based on an advanced algorithm and mathematical models of acid-base and blood chemistry by Rees & Andreassen.8
Watch the v-TAC scientific explanatory video and learn how the v-TAC software calculates arterial blood gas values from peripheral venous blood gas measurements, combined with pulse oximetry measurement of arterial oxygen saturation.
to be contacted or kept informed about v-TAC.
Abbreviations
HCO3: bicarbonate; kPa: kilopascal; pH: power of hydrogen; pCO2: partial pressure of carbon dioxide; pO2: partial pressure of oxygen; POC: point of care
References