Arterial and Venous Estimation of Hemoglobin: A Correlational Study

Background: The objective of this study was to identify the correlation between arterial blood gas (ABG) hemoglobin and venous hemoglobin in acutely ill patients. Methods: This was a prospective observational study on ABG and venous hemoglobin in samples drawn from 103 (59 males and 44 females) patients who presented to acute care areas like emergency room and intensive care units of a quaternary care center. ABG hemoglobin was estimated from point of care testing and venous hemoglobin was obtained from the sample sent to the laboratory. The data were entered into a specifically designed database and analyzed statistically by statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 20. Results: Although there were some serious pathological involvement and associated comorbidities, statistical analysis on correlation between ABG and venous hemoglobin showed a strong positive correlation between ABG and venous hemoglobin (P < 0.01). Conclusion: ABG analysis of hemoglobin could be considered as an alternate tool for hemoglobin quantification, except in rarest scenarios that require a precise estimation of hemoglobin concentration. We also conclude that rapid estimation of hemoglobin by ABG analysis would enhance diagnostic approaches and prognostic aspects of critically ill patients. J Hematol. 2015;4(3):187-192 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jh224e