Arterial Blood Gases

What Affects the Test

Reasons you may not be able to have the test or why the results may not be helpful include the following:

• You have a fever or an abnormally low body temperature (hypothermia).
• You have a disease that affects how much oxygen is carried in your blood, such as severe anemia or polycythemia.
• You smoke just before the test or breathe secondhand smoke, carbon monoxide, or certain paint or varnish removers in closed or poorly ventilated areas.

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Author:	Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC	Last Updated July 28, 2006
Medical Review:	Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Robert L. Cowie, MB, FCP(SA), MD, MSc, MFOM - Pulmonology
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