Arterial blood gases fail to reflect acid-base status during cardiopulmonary resuscitation: A preliminary report

The American Heart Associationʼs current standards for CPR indicate that acid-base therapy should be guided by measurements of arterial blood gases. However, we have discovered a striking discrepancy between arterial and venous blood gases during CPRsevere venous hypercarbia and acidosis may coexist with simultaneous arterial alkalosis. Arterial blood gases during CPR, therefore, may not accurately reflect the acidbase status of mixed venous blood and thus may fail to indicate systemic acid-base status.