Comparison of measured oxyhemoglobin saturation and oxygen content with analyzer-calculated values and hand-calculated values obtained in unsedated healthy dogs

Objective-To compare direct measurements of canine oxyhemoglobin (HbO(2)) saturation and blood oxygen content (ContO(2)) in healthy dogs with analyzer-calculated values derived by use of a human HbO(2) relationship and with hand-calculated values derived by use of a canine HbO(2) relationship. Animals-17 healthy dogs. Procedure-3-mL samples of heparinized arterial and jugular venous blood were collected from each dog. The pH, Pco(2), Po-2, hemoglobin, HbO(2), carboxyhemoglobin, methemoglobin, and ContO(2) were measured; HbO(2) and ContO(2) were calculated automatically by analyzers and also hand-calculated. Blood gas analyzer-calculated and hand-calculated HbO(2) values were compared with co-oximeter-measured HbO(2) values. Analyzer-calculated and hand-calculated ContO(2) values were compared with oxygen content analyzer-measured values. Results-Hand-calculated HbO(2) values for arterial and jugular venous samples were slightly but significantly lower than those calculated by a blood gas analyzer or obtained from a co-oximeter. Hand-calculated and analyzer-calculated arterial and venous ContO(2) were similar to measured values. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Although certain HbO(2) and ContO(2) values generated by use of the different methods were significantly different, these differences are unlikely to be clinically important in healthy dogs.