Transcutaneous measurement of arterialized capillary blood Pco₂ by a new mass spectrometer inlet system

Abstract

A new mass spectrometer inlet system for transcutaneous measurement of capillary blood Pco₂ is described. The system is constructed to allow calibration in a gas mixture of known composition. The accuracy and precision of the system is demonstrated in human experiments, in which the Pco₂ measured by the new probe is shown to be highly correlated with arterialized capillary Pco₂ measured by Astrup's equilibration technique.

Key Words:

• in vitro calibration
• non-invasive