Too much heparin: possible source of error in blood gas analysis.

Sodium heparin solution is widely used as an anticoagulant in blood gas analysis. Although alterations in blood gas measureIf heparin makes up 10% or more of the t ments may occur when small sample volumes are diluted by volume of a sample for blood gas anal. heparin,' 2 such errors are generally thought to be of theoretical important errors in the carbon dioxide pressi rather than practical importance. We report on three patients bicarbonate concentration, and base excess in whom major alterations in blood gas measurements resulted occur