Product Intelligence by Lina Genovesi C
linicians use blood gas analyzers to measure the level of arterial oxygen tension (pO2
), carbon dioxide tension (pCO2 ), and acidity
is an indication of the pressure of carbon dioxide dissolved in the blood, and the ease of movement of carbon dioxide out of the body.
There are several blood gas analyzers on the market that are suitable for measuring the basic blood gas panels in addition to measuring electrolytes and metabolites as an expanded scope for disease diagnosis and treatment.
Blood gas analysis methods The use of ion selective electrodes (ISEs) is the most prevalent test method
and is based on the measure of the concentration of ions through an ion selective membrane.
Optical fluorescence is a newer method. OPTI® analyzers from OPTI Medical Systems, Inc. (
www.optimedical.com) rely on optical fluores- cence from optical electrodes (optodes) calibrated for pCO2
, pO2 , and pH.
The analyzer aspirates the blood sample into the cassette and across the optodes, and fluorescence emission is measured.
Blood gas analyzer purchasing considerations Choosing a blood gas analyzer is a complex process. Numerous factors
need to be considered, as listed below. Types of analyzers
Handheld blood gas analyzers are for point-of-care testing, while bench- top analyzers are for point-of-care or laboratory testing as determined by their size and portability.
Representative handheld analyzers include the i-STAT® System from Abbot Point of Care (
www.abbottpointofcare.com) and the epoc® Blood Analysis System from Alere, Inc. (
www.alere.com).
OPTI analyzers from OPTI Medical Systems are one of the most suitable benchtop analyzers for point-of-care testing due to their smaller size.
Analytes measured The majority of blood gas analyzers are able to measure a range of ana- lytes in addition to the basic gas panel and pH. An analyzer that performs blood gas analysis only is the EasyBloodGas™ analyzer from Medica Corp. (
www.medicacorp.com).
(pH) to assist them in disease diagnosis and treatment. The pO2 is an indication of the pressure of oxygen dissolved in the blood, and the ease of movement of oxygen from the airspace of the lungs into the blood. The pCO2
Sample size Sample size is an important consideration for blood and reagent conser- vation. Handheld analyzers generally work with a smaller sample size. The i-STAT System and the epoc Blood Analysis System have a sample size of less than 96 µL.
A benchtop analyzer with a smaller sample size is the Stat Profile® pHOX® analyzer from Nova Biomedical (
www.novabiomedical.com) with a blood gas panel sample size of 45 to 60 µL.
Sample handling Blood gas analyzers utilize single- or multiuse cartridges, each having their benefits such as flexibility, sample integrity, and maintenance-free use. Analyzers that feature a single-use cartridge include the i-STAT System, the epoc Blood Analysis System, and the ITC benchtop IRMA TRUPOINT® Blood Analysis System (
www.itcmed.com). Analyzers with multiuse cartridges include the GEM® Premier analyzers from Instrumentation Laboratory (
www.us.instrumenationlaboratory.com).
Clot protection
Clots can cause analyzer problems, and clot protection is an important consideration. The cobas b 123 POC and cobas b 221 systems from Roche Diagnostics (
www.roche.com) offer a clot protection system.
Throughput and analysis time A high-volume hospital may require high throughput and, in some clinical settings, analysis speed is as important as a high-throughput rate.
Stat Profile pHOX analyzers from Nova Biomedical offer throughput of 50 samples/hr. The Stat Profile pHOX Ultra analyzer gives up to 20 critical care samples in 2 min.
The Stat Profile Prime® analyzer from Nova Biomedical offers simplified critical care testing.
This analyzer relies on the ZERØTM maintenance
cartridge technology for a smaller, faster, and less expensive critical care analyzer. This cartridge technology comprises individual cartridges for biosensors, calibrators, and liquid quality control.
Automation Automated calibration allows for long periods of intervention-free opera- tion. The GEM Premier 4000 with PLUS technology from Instrumentation Laboratory offers complete automation quality management.
AMERICAN LABORATORY • 32 • JUNE/JULY 2014
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Blood Gas Analyzers: Expanding the Scope of Disease Diagnosis and Treatment
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