RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The effect of prolonged tourniquet application on serum bicarbonate
JF Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
JO Cleve Clin J Med
FD Cleveland Clinic
SP 68
OP 70
VO 62
IS 1
A1 Fayez M. Bany-Mohammed
A1 Michael L. Macknin
A1 Frederick Van Lente
A1 Sharon Vanderbrug Medendorp
YR 1995
UL http://www.ccjm.org/content/62/1/68.abstract
AB BACKGROUND Many clinicians believe that prolonged tourniquet application lowers the serum bicarbonate concentration in samples drawn from that limb, but this effect has never been examined prospectively.OBJECTIVE To test the effect of prolonged tourniquet application before phlebotomy on serum bicarbonate concentration in healthy adults.METHODS We drew blood samples from 27 healthy adult volunteers without a tourniquet and again 1,3, and 5 minutes after applying a blood pressure cuff and inflating it to the mean arterial pressure. RESULTS The mean bicarbonate concentration was 27.3 ± 2.26 mmol/L (standard deviation) at baseline, 27.7 ± 2.39 mmol/L at 1 minute, 27.7 ± 2.05 mmol/L at 3 minutes, and 27.7 ± 1.96 mmol/L at 5 minutes. The mean change in bicarbonate concentration from baseline was −0.04 ± 1.02 mmol/L at 1 minute, 0.44 ± 1.05 mmol/L at 3 minutes, and 0.44 ±1.31 mmol/L at 5 minutes. The mean lactate concentration was 1.1 ± 0.28 mmol/L at baseline, 1.3 ± 0.65 mmol/L at 1 minute, 1.2 ± 0.52 mmol/L at 3 minutes, and 1.2 ± 0.36 mmol/L at 5 minutes. The mean change in lactate concentration from baseline was 0.15 ± 0.67 mmol/L at 1 minute, 0.11 ± 0.11 mmol/L at 3 minutes, and 0.12 ± 0.37 mmol/L at 5 minutes.CONCLUSIONS Prolonged tourniquet application before phlebotomy does not lower the serum bicarbonate concentration in healthy adults.