The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Vol 70, 656-660, Copyright © 1975 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Western Thoracic Surgical Association
Continuous, simultaneous measurement of arterial oxygen tension and arterial blood pressure
MI Gold and I Duarte
This is an investigation of a technique for simultaneously measuring
arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) and blood pressure continuously during and
after surgical anesthesia. In 27 patients, a special T attachment was
placed on the end of an indwelling arterial catheter so that pressurized
dilute heparin could be flushed through continuously while blood pressure
was being recorded by means of a transducer-oscilloscope system and PaO2
was being recorded through an indwelling polarograph oxygen tension (PO2)
readout device. The electrode was left in the artery for an average of 16
hours; the average PaO2 during mechanical ventilation with the patient
breathing 50 per cent oxygen was approximately 200 torr at the beginning of
anesthesia; it dropped to 158 torr 6 hours later. The average PaO2 in the
recovery room 1 hour postoperatively, with the patient spontaneously
breathing approximately 30 per cent oxygen, was 122 torr. No significant
complications were encountered during this investigation. We believe this
dual technique to be a valuable monitoring tandem in the anesthetized and
surgical intensive care patient.