title: Different manufacturers of syringes: a new source of variability in blood gas, acid-base balance and related laboratory test?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluate whether four different brands/types of heparin coated syringes can represent a source of variability in blood gas analysis (BGA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood was collected from one hundred volunteers into different syringes: Syringe I (lithium heparin and calcium balanced); Syringe II: in-house prepared (sodium heparin); Syringe III: (spray-dried calcium-balanced lithium heparin); Syringe IV (lyophilized electrolyte-balanced lithium heparin).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant differences were as follows: a) Syringe I vs II: pO(2), sO(2), pCO(2)(t), cHCO(3)(-), ctCO(2), base excess (BE), total hemoglobin (tHb), sodium (Na(+)), potassium (K(+)), calcium (Ca(2+)), glucose (Glu), lactate (Lac), O(2) Hb and p 50; b) Syringe I vs III: pH, pO(2), cHCO(3)(-), ctCO(2), BE, Na(+), Glu, Lac and p 50; c) Syringe I vs IV: pH, pO(2), sO(2), pCO(2)(t), BE, Na(+), K(+), Ca(2+), Glu, Lac and O(2) Hb; d) Syringe II vs III: pH, pO(2), sO(2), pCO(2)(t), cHCO(3)(-), ctCO(2), ctO(2), tHb, Na(+), K(+), Ca(2+), Lac and p 50; e) Syringe II vs IV: pH, pO(2), sO(2), pCO(2)(t), cHCO(3)(-), ctCO(2), BE, tHb, Na(+), K(+), Ca(2+), Lac, O(2) Hb and p 50; f) Syringe III vs IV: pH, pO(2), sO(2), cHCO(3)(-), ctCO(2), ctO(2), BE, Na(+), K(+), Ca(2+), O(2) Hb and p 50.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The different manufacturers of syringes can represent new source of variability on BGA.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry, Department of Life and Reproduction Sciences, University of Verona, Italy. dr.g.lima.oliveira@gmail.com
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lima-Oliveira
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lippi
authors.forename: Gian Luca
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Salvagno
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Montagnana
authors.forename: Geraldo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Picheth
authors.forename: Gian Cesare
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Guidi
mesh_terms: D000136:Acid-Base Equilibrium; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D001800:Blood Specimen Collection / Q000592:standards*; D004573:Electrolytes / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006493:Heparin / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008297:Male; D013594:Syringes / Q000592:standards*
chemical_list: D004573:Electrolytes; C006871:calcium heparin; D006493:Heparin