title: Reliability of femoral artery sampling during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
abstract: A study was undertaken to determine whether femoral arterial blood gas (ABG) content adequately reflects central oxygenation and acid base status during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from fibrillatory arrest in the canine model. Six dogs were fibrillated electrically. After 3 minutes, CPR was begun. ABG samples were taken simultaneously from femoral and thoracic aortic catheters at 0, 3, 8, 13, 23, and 28 minutes of ventricular fibrillation. Pair analysis revealed a statistically significant difference between aortic and femoral PO2 values throughout the duration of external chest compression and assisted ventilation (P less than .05). The aortic PO2 was 12% more than the femoral PO2. There was no difference in pH and PCO2 between the femoral and aortic blood gas samples. The lower femoral PO2 observed may be the result of poorer blood flow to the lower half of the body. It was concluded that femoral PO2 underestimates aortic PO2 during external chest compression and assisted ventilation in the canine model.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000097:blood*; D004285:Dogs; D005263:Femoral Artery; D006323:Heart Arrest; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood*; D012151:Resuscitation
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D010100:Oxygen