Environmental testing of a blood gas/pH and electrolyte analyzer for field hospital use.

In 1983 the U.S. Army Academy of Health Sciences developed a Letter Requirement for a Blood Gas/pH Analyzer for use in Echelon 3 and 4 facilities. Field trials of several nondevelopment items and a subsequent market survey did not produce a suitable instrument. Recently, a relatively small, lightweight, and simple device became commercially available, and was tested for field applicability in accordance with MIL-STD-810D. Results indicated that with minor modifications, the instrument would be sufficiently rugged to withstand the severe storage temperature extremes and transit shock and vibration conditions associated with deployment of field medical materiel.