Continuous arterial blood gas monitoring in pediatric patients: analysis of prolonged monitoring using the Paratrend 7 system.

Continuous blood gas monitoring is a new addition to the intensive care unit. The Paratrend 7 contains sensors to measure pH and PCO2, an electrode to measure PO2, and a thermistor to measure temperature. The entire apparatus can be placed via a 20 gauge arterial catheter. Because the initial proposed life span of the sensor was 72 h, those children who had it in place greater than this period form the basis of this analysis.