Comparison Between Manually and Automatically Calculated Analyses: Blood Gases in Pediatric Intensive Care

Backround: One of the most significant encountered in patients with critical illness is an acid-base imbalance. Blood gas analysis is a fundamental laboratory investigation employed to assess a patient's acid-base equilibrium and oxygenation status. The accurate interpretation of the blood gas is essential for the management and treatment of disease. The objective of this study is to compare the blood gases in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) between manually and automatically calculated analyses. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study evaluated the serum ions and blood gas parameters values at the time of admission of patients aged between 0 and 18 years who were admitted to the PICU between April and October 2023. Furthermore, the relationship between automatically (with ABL800 FLEX autoanalyzer) and manually calculated standard base excess (SBE), anion gap, and the type of blood gas samples was investigated. Results: The study comprised 184 patients admitted to the PICU, of whom 105 (57.1%) were male and 79 (42.9%) female. The most common diseases were 47(25.5%) physical traumas and 43(23.4%) lower respiratory tract infections. A positive correlation was detected between the results obtained from the blood gas automatically and manually calculated values for SBE. (correlation coefficient(Cc): 0.970; p<0.001). However, a significant difference was found between the SBE automatically and manually calculation when capillary (p=0.007) or venous (p<0.001) blood gas was taken, but this difference was not found for arterial samples (p=0.089). Conclusions: The automatic measurements of the blood gas analyser are reliable, based on this study, and we should to be say between two methods no differences automatically and manually values. Nevertheless, in cases where there is an elevated risk of base deficit in critically ill patients, it is recommended that an arterial blood gas sample be obtained.