Diabetic medicine : a journal of the British Diabetic Association
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Comparative Study
A comparison of arterial and non-arterialized capillary blood gases in diabetic ketoacidosis.
The results of acid-base and blood gas estimations in arterial and non-arterialized capillary blood have been compared in samples obtained simultaneously from patients presenting with diabetic ketoacidosis. Highly significant correlations were obtained for pH, pCO2 and bicarbonate measurements. ⋯ These differences were of no clinical significance. Non-arterialized capillary samples are a reliable indicator of acid-base status in this form of metabolic acidosis and are preferable to repeated arterial puncture.