• Hero Banner
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Digital Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Pharmacy
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Buying or Selling a Practice
Hospital Design
Leadership & Personal Growth
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Technology
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Live Conferences
Conference News
Conference Proceedings
Resources
CBD in Pets
Contests
Veterinary Heroes
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

How to obtain arterial samples for blood gas analysis

November 1, 2009
Katherine Snyder, DVM, DACVIM

Follow these steps to acquire arterial samples to help diagnose acute lung injury or ARDS.

Follow these steps to acquire arterial samples to help diagnose acute lung injury or ARDS.1 Information on interpreting blood gas analysis results is available elsewhere.2

Step 1

Prepare a 3-ml syringe with a 25- or 22-ga needle or a vented arterial blood gas syringe. Make sure the blood gas analyzer and any associated cartridges are available for immediate use.

Step 2

Advertisement

If you use a regular syringe, coat the syringe with sodium heparin, leaving a small amount in the hub of the needle. If you use a special vented arterial blood gas syringe, pull the plunger back to the volume of desired blood.

Step 3

Palpate the pulse in the desired artery. Dorsal metatarsal (pedal) arteries, located on the dorsomedial aspect of the metatarsals, are most commonly used, but femoral arteries or lingual arteries (in anesthetized patients) can also be used.

Step 4

Clip and prepare the area.

Step 5

Re-palpate the arterial pulse by using the first two fingers on your nondominant hand. You will not be able to visualize the artery (Figure A).

Figure A. The nondominant hand palpates the dorsal metatarsal artery on a dog's left hindlimb. The opposite hand is holding a vented syringe. The dog has been clipped and prepped for arterial blood collection.

Step 6

Insert the needle through the skin only, allowing the animal time to react to any skin discomfort.

Step 7

Using your palpating fingers as a guide, insert the needle parallel to where you feel the arterial pulse with the needle angled at about 45 degrees.

Step 8

Arterial puncture should result in a flash in the hub of the needle or filling of the syringe with arterial blood. You may need to aspirate with the plunger to obtain a full sample. If you use a vented syringe, the syringe is made to fill with blood until it reaches the volume preset by the plunger.

Step 9

Withdraw the needle, and apply pressure for one to five minutes, and monitor for hematoma formation.

Step 10

Remove any air bubbles (if using a regular syringe), and place a rubber stopper on the end of the needle (Figure B).

Figure B. An arterial blood sample after collection with a rubber stopper providing an airtight seal to promote sample integrity.

Step 11

Run the sample through the analyzer as soon as possible, or place it in an ice water bath if a short delay must occur.

REFERENCES

1. Davis H. Venous and arterial puncture. In: Textbook of veterinary internal medicine. 6th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Elsevier Saunders, 2005;386-388.

2. Haskins SC. Interpretation of blood gas measurements. In: Respiratory diseases in dogs and cats. 1st ed. St. Louis, Mo: Saunders, 2004;181-193.

Related Content:

Respiratory Medicine
New antibiotic for cattle and swine is available
New antibiotic for cattle and swine is available
Assessing respiratory emergency patients
Assessing respiratory emergency patients
3 Common respiratory emergencies
3 Common respiratory emergencies

Advertisement

Latest News

Can our Pride panel answer these LGBTQ+ trivia questions?

Creating inclusive spaces for the LGBTQ+ community in vet med

Happy Pride Month, Hill's launches Prescription Diet ONC Care, and more

CityVet Celina opens in Prosper, Texas

View More Latest News
Advertisement