TY - JOUR T1 - Arterial Blood Gas Analysis: as safe as we think? A multicentre historical cohort study JF - ERJ Open Research JO - erjor DO - 10.1183/23120541.00535-2021 SP - 00535-2021 AU - Sacha C Rowling AU - Marianne Fløjstrup AU - Daniel Pilsgaard Henriksen AU - Bjarke Viberg AU - Christian Hallenberg AU - Jes Sanddal Lindholt AU - Andreas Alberg-Fløjborg AU - Prabath WB Nanayakkara AU - Mikkel Brabrand Y1 - 2022/01/01 UR - http://openres.ersjournals.com/content/early/2022/01/06/23120541.00535-2021.abstract N2 - Purpose Arterial punctures (APs) for arterial blood gas (ABG) analyses are much used medical procedures. To date, no large studies have been conducted on the major complication rate of APs. We aimed to describe the risk of major complications within seven days after puncture and investigating whether using antithrombotic medication affected this.Methods We included all APs performed for ABG analysis at three Danish hospitals from 1 January 1993 until 25 February 2013. We excluded APs ordered by the anaesthesiology department, intensive care unit (ICU) or in patients <18 years. Data on patient level was extracted from the Danish National Patient Registry, Danish Civil Registration System and Odense Pharmaco-Epidemiologic Database (OPED), the latter providing us with information on antithrombotics medication. Initially, two clinicians compiled a list with all procedures and diagnoses that could possibly be a consequence of APs. The selected procedures and diagnoses were further categorised independently by three surgeons and used to indicate the complication rate.Results We analysed 473,327 APs and found 669 (0.14%, CI 0.13–0.15) APs led to major complications: embolisms or thrombosis (49.0%), aneurysms (15.4%), nerve damage (1.5%), arteriovenous fistulas (0.6%) or of another kind (33.5%). The identified major complication rates in patients on antithrombotic medication were increased (OR 1.31, CI 1.07–1.61)).Conclusion APs for ABG analyses are safe procedures. The major complication rate within seven days was 0.14% (CI 0.13–0.15). Patients on antithrombotic medication carry an increased risk of developing major complications.FootnotesThis manuscript has recently been accepted for publication in the ERJ Open Research. It is published here in its accepted form prior to copyediting and typesetting by our production team. After these production processes are complete and the authors have approved the resulting proofs, the article will move to the latest issue of the ERJOR online. Please open or download the PDF to view this article.Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. ER -