The collection of arterial specimens with glass syringes and immediate storage in iced water was the accepted industry standard for many years. Practice has changed over the past several years to blood gas sample collection in plastic syringes, likely due to the cost, safety and convenience of plastic. This change in practice has led to a re-evaluation of the impact of the collection device, storage time and storage conditions on the acid-base, oxygen and carbon dioxide results. A comparison of the knowledge gained in the use of glass syringes as compared to plastic syringes and the resultant changes on the measured results is necessary to identify and control the potential for measurement error.

The arterial collection and analysis guidelines published by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) provide specific recommendations regarding specimen collection devices, sample handling, specimen transport and storage conditions based on scientific studies. This two-part article will examine what we have learned from the studies and how it might be applied in daily practice.