title: Factors affecting the loss of carbon monoxide from stored blood samples.
abstract: The loss of carbon monoxide (CO) from whole blood or hemolysates has been investigated. Blood samples were exposed to the atmosphere or to a limited volume of air for various storage periods at three temperatures. The initial hemoglobin (Hb) concentration and the percent carboxyhemoglobin (%COHb) saturation were varied in separate experiments. In addition, the effect of repeated exposure of blood to air was evaluated. The %COHb saturation decreased from 80 to 50% following storage of a 1-mL blood sample with 49 mL of air in a sealed container at room temperature for 45 hr. Greater decreases in the %COHb saturation were observed in samples which were exposed to the atmosphere. Lesser, but significant, losses occurred when samples were stored in a refrigerator or freezer. The concentration of Hb in the samples as well as the initial %COHb saturation were found to influence the decrease in the %COHb saturation.
mesh_terms: D000388:Air; D001793:Blood Preservation; D002249:Carbon Monoxide Poisoning / Q000097:blood*; D002263:Carboxyhemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D004355:Drug Stability; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000097:blood; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D013499:Surface Properties; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D002263:Carboxyhemoglobin; D009584:Nitrogen; D010100:Oxygen