PROCEDURE 66 • Knowledge of sterile technique is needed. • Knowledge of cardiovascular and pulmonary anatomy and physiology is necessary. • Gas exchange and acid-base balance should be understood. • Technique for specimen collection and labeling should be known. • Principles of hemodynamic monitoring need to be understood. • Knowledge about the care of patients with pulmonary artery catheters (see Procedure 73) and stopcock manipulation (see Procedure 76) is needed. • The most frequent blood specimen obtained from the pulmonary artery is one for mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) analysis. • SvO2 measures the oxygen saturation of the venous blood in the pulmonary artery (see Procedure 16). • SvO2 samples are obtained to calibrate the equipment when continuously monitoring SvO2 values. • Routine blood sampling from the pulmonary artery catheter is not recommended because entry into the sterile system may increase the incidence of catheter-related infection.
Blood Sampling from a Pulmonary Artery Catheter
PREREQUISITE NURSING KNOWLEDGE