title: Relationship between venous and arterial carboxyhemoglobin levels in patients with suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the hypothesis that venous carboxyhemoglobin (V-COHb) levels accurately predict arterial (A-COHb) levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective comparison of A-COHb and V-COHb levels in patients with suspected carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
  
  
  METHODS
  Municipal hospital emergency department with contiguous multiplace hyperbaric chamber staffed 24 hours a day.
  
  
  METHODS
  Unselected convenience sample of 61 adults with suspected CO toxicity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Simultaneous sampling of arterial and venous blood.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Correlation between V-COHb and A-COHb showed an r value of .99 (95%CI, .99 to .99), and an r2 value of .98. Agreement between V-COHb and A-COHb levels was examined by use of a plot of arteriovenous differences against the mean of the two measurements. The mean arteriovenous difference was .15% COHb (95%CI, .13% to .45%), with 95% of the differences ranging from 2.4% COHb to -2.1% COHb.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Venous COHb levels predict arterial levels with a high degree of accuracy. Patients with suspected CO poisoning can be screened with the use of venous blood, without the need for arterial puncture.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Bronx Municipal Hospital, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Touger
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Gallagher
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tyrell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001158:Arteries; D001800:Blood Specimen Collection / Q000379:methods; D002249:Carbon Monoxide Poisoning / Q000097:blood*; D002263:Carboxyhemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014680:Veins
chemical_list: D002263:Carboxyhemoglobin