Capillary blood gas analysis with point-of-care testing in exercise: interpretations and applicability

• Grant number: 24/07073-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Thiago Fernando Lourenço
• Grantee: Maria Luiza Monteiro
• Host Institution: Centro de Pesquisas Odontológicas São Leopoldo Mandic. Faculdade São Leopoldo Mandic (SLMANDIC). Sociedade Regional de Ensino e Saúde S/S Ltda (SRES). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Maintenance of pH is essential for proper functioning of vital human functions, therefore, relies on a rigorous regulation consisting of multisystemic buffering mechanisms that allow for acid-base balancing when necessary. Distortions of this system might happen for various reasons resulting in acidosis or alkalosis and should be rapidly detected and corrected to prevent possible irreversible damage. In the intensive and surgical practice, this is an achievable goal due to the use of the well-established arterial blood gas analyzer. An instrument that enables not only the identification of the imbalance but also the cause of it through the measurement of partial pressures of O2 (PO2) and CO2 (PCO2), pH, electrolytes (sodium, potassium, ionized calcium, and chloride), lactate, glucose, creatinine, and hematocrit. Additionally, calculated parameters include bicarbonate ion concentration, total carbon dioxide, hemoglobin oxygen saturation, anion gap, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and total hemoglobin.Considering biochemical fundaments, interpreting the results obtained can provide insights into individual's metabolic status, turning it into a valuable tool in various clinical contexts. In this sense, capillary blood gas analysis performed through transcutaneous puncture and processed at point of care testing represents an effective and versatile alternative enabling its applicability by the medical team in different scenarios such as in sports. Obtaining these type of individual and objective data throughout the training, allows more accurate training prescriptions and also understanding of the ones previously proposed, predicting necessary adjustments, preventing injuries, and facilitating communication among team professionalsDespite the mentioned technique's significant potential, there is a gap in the literature on the subject. Therefore, the aim of this study is to discuss biochemical interpretations of one athlete's metabolic state using the objective parameters obtained through capillary blood gas analysis in two different moments, at rest and after exercise, and explore its applicability in sports and clinical contexts.