Abstract

Background: Arterial blood gases analysis (ABG) is a common test performed in intensive care unit (ICU) of hospitals. In this critical unit, some intruding factors may influence ABG results. Heparin, a common in used anticoagulant, is among one of these interfering factors. In present study, effect of heparin was evaluated on ABG results. Methods: In present quasi-experimental study, 200 specimens of arterial blood were drawn from the radial artery. From these, 100 samples were transferred into heparinized syringes (1 ml heparin per 1 ml blood sample), and 100 samples into dry syringes without any anticoagulants. Results of AGB were analyzed by SPSS 16 software. Results: There were significant differences regarding means of pH, PCO2, PO2, HCO3, and BE between the two groups. However, no significant difference was observed for O-2 saturation level. Conclusion: Considering the adverse effects heparin on ABG results found in this study, using heparin as an anticoagulant in discouraged. It is advised to minimize using this anticoagulant in clinical procedures.