Arterial blood gas analysis in two different intra-hospital transport methods for postoperative cardiac surgery patients.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects on blood gases by two methods of ventilation (with transport ventilation or self-inflating manual resuscitator) during intra-hospital transport of patients after cardiac surgery. METHODS Observational, longitudinal, prospective, randomized study. Two samples of arterial blood were collected at the end of the surgery and another at the end of patient transport. RESULTS We included 23 patients: 13 in the Group with transport ventilation and 10 in the Group with self-inflating manual resuscitator. Baseline characteristics were similar between both groups, except for higher acute severity of illness in the Group with transport ventilation. We observed significant differences in comparisons of percentage variations of gasometric data: pH (transport ventilation + 4% x MR -5%, p=0.007), PaCO2 (-8% x +13%, p=0.006), PaO2 (+47% x -34%, p=0.01) and SatO2 (+0.6% x -1.7%, p=0.001). CONCLUSION The use of mechanical ventilation results in fewer repercussions for blood gas analysis in the intra-hospital transport of cardiac surgery patients.