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(Chest. 1999;115:1316-1320.)
© 1999 American College of Chest Physicians

Determination of Hemoglobin Saturation in Patients With Acute Sickle Chest Syndrome*

A Comparison of Arterial Blood Gases and Pulse Oximetry

John P. Kress, MD; Anne S. Pohlman, RN, MSN and Jesse B. Hall, MD

* From the Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.

Correspondence to: Jesse B. Hall, MD, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, MC 6026, University of Chicago, 5841 S Maryland Ave, Chicago, IL 60637; e-mail: jhall{at}medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu


   Abstract
TOP
 Abstract
Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Study objectives: To evaluate three different methods of measuring oxygen saturation in patients suffering from acute sickle chest syndrome.

Design: A prospective, descriptive study of 9 months' duration.

Setting: A tertiary care university hospital.

Patients: Adult patients with acute sickle chest syndrome scheduled to undergo RBC exchange transfusion.

Interventions: None.

Measurements: Baseline hemoglobin oxygen saturation was determined simultaneously by (1) calculation based on PaO2 and an oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve algorithm, (2) co-oximetry, and (3) pulse oximetry. These same measures were repeated after exchange transfusion. Baseline and postexchange hemoglobin electrophoresis was performed in all patients.

Results: Baseline calculated saturation overestimated true saturation (determined by co-oximetry) with a baseline mean bias (co-oximetry minus calculated saturation) of -6.78 ± 2.63% (95% confidence interval for bias: -8.37% to -5.19%). Pulse oximetry was not different than co-oximetry at baseline with a baseline bias of +1.86 ± 3.25% (95% confidence interval: -0.1% to 3.82%). After exchange transfusion, there was no bias between either co-oximetry and calculated saturation (mean difference: -0.17 ± 1.31% [95% confidence interval: -0.95% to 0.61%]), or co-oximetry and pulse oximetry (mean difference: +0.3 ± 1.53% [95% confidence interval: -0.62% to 1.22%]).

Conclusions: Calculated saturation overestimates true saturation during acute sickle chest syndrome. This discrepancy abates after exchange transfusion. Pulse oximetry more closely follows co-oximetry than does calculated saturation during acute sickle chest syndrome.

Key Words: arterial blood gas • co-oximetry • exchange transfusion • oxygen dissociation curve • pulse oximetry • sickle cell anemia


   Introduction
TOP
 Abstract
 Introduction
Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Sickle cell anemia is a disorder of hemoglobin associated with an amino acid substitution of valine for glutamic acid at the sixth residue of the ß-chain. Patients with sickle cell anemia are prone to recurrent pain crises related to RBC sickling and vaso-occlusion with subsequent tissue hypoxia. Acute pain crises may be precipitated by hypoxemia, infection, dehydration, environmental temperature change, or acidosis. Supportive therapy includes IV fluid hydration, analgesic therapy, and antibiotic therapy when infection is suspected.

Acute sickle chest syndrome (ASCS) can result in significant morbidity and mortality1 in patients suffering an acute pain crisis. It manifests as fever, chest pain, infiltrates on chest radiograph, and hypoxemia. The exact pathophysiologic state of ASCS has not been established, although a correlation with pulmonary infection has been suggested. Embolism of fat,2 marrow,3 or thrombus4 has also been described. Microvascular occlusion of the circulation by sickled hemoglobin5 and rib infarction6 have been found to be associated with ASCS, but a cause-and-effect relationship is lacking.

Since hypoxemia is a trigger for sickling of hemoglobin S (HbS), its avoidance and correction are of major importance in the management of sickle cell disease, particularly in ASCS. Alveolar hypoxia has been shown to be associated with entrapment of sickle cells in the pulmonary microcirculation,7 which may propagate a cycle of further hypoxemia and sickling. RBC exchange transfusion (EXC), although never decisively shown to have a beneficial impact on outcome, is frequently used to relieve ASCS. The exchange of HbS with hemoglobin A (HbA) typically results in prompt resolution of chest symptoms and hypoxemia in patients with ASCS.

Arterial hemoglobin oxygen saturation can be measured by either arterial blood gas analysis or pulse oximetry. Clinically, the most precise method of determining arterial blood saturation is via analysis with a co-oximeter (Co-ox).8 The Co-ox measures light transmission through a blood sample at multiple wavelengths to distinguish oxyhemoglobin from reduced hemoglobin, carboxyhemoglobin, and methemoglobin. This method has been shown to be reliable for analyzing oxygen saturation in both HbA and HbS molecules.9 10 An alternative way of determining arterial hemoglobin oxygen saturation is to directly measure the partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood and then to calculate the hemoglobin saturation (SaO2CALC) by plotting the PaO2 on the oxygen dissociation curve (ODC). A third method is the use of pulse oximetry (SpO2), which detects hemoglobin saturation on a continuous, noninvasive basis, by measuring transdermal absorption of light by hemoglobin in blood flowing through a fingertip or ear. In patients with normal hemoglobin, in the absence of carbon monoxide or methemoglobin toxicity, Co-ox, SaO2CALC, and SpO2 have been shown to have a very good correlation.8 11 Previous comparisons of various measurements of hemoglobin saturation during acute sickle cell crisis have been reported.12 13 14 15 Significant discrepancies may exist between these measurements, with some reports noting higher saturation with SaO2CALC and SpO2 vs Co-ox measurements.13 Others have noted SpO2 to underestimate SaO2CALC15 or have noted no overall difference.12 To our knowledge, only one comparative study has looked at adult patients,15 which found pulse oximetry to "underestimate oxygenation." Unfortunately, this study used calculated saturation rather than co-oximetry as the gold standard, independent variable. Overall, this limited literature suffers from a lack of uniform methodology (different age groups, different disease acuities [eg, sickle crisis vs outpatients in stable condition], and different methods of determining hemoglobin saturation). Our anecdotal experience has been that many patients with ASCS have remarkable discrepancies between various hemoglobin oxygen saturation measurements. To our knowledge, a simultaneous comparison of the three modalities for measuring hemoglobin saturation in sickle cell anemia has not been published.3 16 We wondered whether our observed discrepancy between these measurements might be related to the presence of a high percentage of HbS, resulting in inaccurate results from the calculated hemoglobin saturation. If this were true, we speculated that such discrepancies would abate after EXC, since most of the HbS would be replaced by HbA. Therefore, we sought to answer the following questions: (1) During ASCS, what is the relationship of the three methods of measuring oxygen saturation to one another, and which is more accurate (SaO2CALC vs SpO2) relative to the "gold standard" (Co-ox)? (2) If there is a difference in these measurement methods related to HbS, is it eliminated by EXC?


   Materials and Methods
TOP
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
Results
 Discussion
 References
 
All adult patients with a diagnosis of ASCS undergoing EXC were eligible for study. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at the University of Chicago. The diagnosis of ASCS was made on the following clinical grounds: pleuritic chest pain, dyspnea, fever, and infiltrates on chest radiograph. Demographic data (age, sex, weight, history of previous EXC, mortality) were collected for all patients.

Room air arterial blood was sampled from each patient just prior to EXC. All arterial blood samples were drawn as part of routine patient care as directed by the primary care team. Samples were drawn anaerobically into preheparinized 1-mL syringes (A-LINER; Sherwood Medical; St. Louis, MO). All air bubbles were removed from the syringes and each sample was then taken immediately for analysis. Just before each measurement, the sample was mixed well. All analyses were completed within 5 min of sampling time. Each sample was analyzed for oxygen saturation by calculation (SaO2CALC) (Radiometer ABL 500 ABG Analyzer; Radiometer; Copenhagen, Denmark) as well as by co-oximetry (Co-ox) (Radiometer ABL 520 ABG Analyzer; Radiometer). The same blood sample was analyzed twice by each method to assure reproducibility.

SpO2 was obtained at the same time as arterial blood sampling. Patients were simultaneously evaluated with three different pulse oximeters to assure reproducibility: Nellcor N-180 (Nellcor; Carlsbad, CA), Ohmeda Biox 3740 (Spacelabs; Redford, WA), and Spacelabs Module 90467 (Ohmeda; Louisville, CO). SpO2 values were recorded only after a consistent reading, with a strong arterial waveform signal and a pulse reading identical to the patient's heart rate. All pulse oximeters utilized finger sensors.

Baseline hemoglobin electrophoresis was performed prior to EXC. Each patient then underwent EXC as directed by the primary care team and the blood bank consult team. This typically involves exchange of an average of 6 U of packed RBCs over approximately 1 to 2 h. At steady state, 48 to 72 h after EXC, arterial blood gas analysis and SpO2 measurements were made in a manner identical to the preexchange regimen. A postexchange hemoglobin electrophoresis was also performed in all patients.

Comparison of demographic data was made with an unpaired t test. Hemoglobin saturation data were analyzed using the Bland and Altman17 bias analysis for methods comparison studies and are expressed as mean ± SD. Ninety-five percent confidence intervals for the bias of Co-ox minus SaO2CALC and Co-ox minus SpO2 were determined.


   Results
TOP
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
Discussion
 References
 
Thirteen different patients with ASCS were enrolled: 11 patients had SS disease and 2 had SC disease. Table 1 outlines the demographic breakdown.


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  		Table 1. Demographics*

 
There were no differences among the three pulse oximeters either before or after EXC (Table 2) . Data are reported using Nellcor-180 pulse oximeter results, but there were no significant differences with the others.


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  		Table 2. Pulse Oximeter Data

 
Mean percent HbS was 76.7 ± 14.7% at baseline and 27.9 ± 6.2% after EXC.

At baseline, oxygen saturation measurements ranged from 69.8 to 97.4% as measured by Co-ox. Baseline SaO2CALC was higher than Co-ox. At baseline, the bias (mean difference of Co-ox minus SaO2CALC) between Co-ox and SaO2CALC was -6.78 ± 2.63% (95% confidence interval, -8.37 to -5.19%) (Fig 1) . The baseline bias between Co-ox and SpO2 was +1.86 ± 3.25% (95% confidence interval, -0.10 to 3.82%).



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  		Figure 1. Co-ox vs SaO2CALC—preexchange.

 
After EXC, oxygen saturation measurements (Co-ox) ranged from 85.3 to 97.4%. SaO2CALC was not significantly different than Co-ox. Indeed, after EXC, the bias between Co-ox and SaO2CALC was -0.17 ± 1.31% (95% confidence interval, -0.95% to 0.61%) (Fig 2) . The post-EXC bias between Co-ox and SpO2 was +0.30 ± 1.53% (95% confidence interval, -0.62 to 1.22%).



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  		Figure 2. Co-ox vs SaO2CALC—postexchange.

 
Four patients remained hypoxemic (Co-ox <90%, ie, on the steep portion of the ODC) even after exchange transfusion. In this subgroup, the baseline bias between Co-ox and SaO2CALC was -7.40 ± 2.46% (95% confidence interval, -11.31 to -3.49%), while the baseline bias between Co-ox and SpO2 was +1.00 ± 1.15% (95% confidence interval, -0.84% to 2.84%). The post-EXC bias between Co-ox and SaO2CALC in this subgroup was -0.30 ± 2.14% (95% confidence interval, -3.70 to 3.10%), while the post-EXC bias between Co-ox and SpO2 was +0.33 ± 0.78% (95% confidence interval, -0.91 to 1.57%).


   Discussion
TOP
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
References
 
We have demonstrated a significant discrepancy between arterial hemoglobin oxygen saturation as determined by a calculation algorithm vs direct measurement by co-oximetry. The calculated method greatly overestimates true hemoglobin saturation during ASCS. Co-oximetry is the most accurate, clinically available test used to determine hemoglobin oxygen saturation8 and has been widely used to for studying both HbA and HbS.9 10 The Radiometer ABL 520 co-oximeter measures light transmission through the blood sample at six different wavelengths (535, 560, 577, 622, 636, and 670 nm). Oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, methemoglobin, and carboxyhemoglobin each have different absorbances at these six wavelengths.18 Many blood gas analyzers do not have co-oximeters, relying instead on measurement of PaO2 and calculation of arterial saturation. This calculated method follows an algorithm to determine the ODC based on blood pH and temperature. Inherent in this algorithm is the expectation that oxygen binding of the specimen is that of HbA. The ODC of HbS is significantly different from that of HbA, with a considerable shift to the right.19

SpO2 utilizes the principles of spectrophotometry and plethysmography. An electro-optical sensor with two light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and one photodiode as a photodetector is used. One LED emits red light at 660 nm, while the other emits infrared light at 920 nm. These LEDs pass transdermally (through a digit or ear) where part is absorbed and part transmitted. A photodetector measures transdermal red and infrared absorption. Since oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin differ in their relative red and infrared absorption, arterial oxygen saturation can be determined. Pulse oximeters have been shown to be inaccurate in the presence of abnormal hemoglobin species such as methemoglobin and carboxyhemoglobin. Circumstances that reduce finger pulsation amplitude such as hypotension, hypothermia, or administration of vasoconstricting drugs also effect pulse oximeter accuracy.20 All of our patients had strong arterial waveforms on the pulse oximeter with pulse readings consistent with heart rate. Pulse oximeters use a plethysmographic waveform analysis that is used to distinguish the pulsatile (arterial) signal from the nonpulsatile (venous) signal. Since, under most circumstances, the differences among these three methods of determining oxygen saturation are minimal,8 such differences may not be appreciated readily.

Our patients all suffered from ASCS, a complication of sickle cell anemia that has a high morbidity. Assuring that oxygen saturation is beyond the steep portion of the ODC (ie, > 90%) is critical in the management of sickle cell crisis—particularly during ASCS. Our data suggest that blood gas analysis using the calculation method may lead to inappropriate decisions regarding the treatment of these patients. In the 13 patients that we studied, 7 had a baseline SaO2CALC > 90% while simultaneous Co-ox was < 90%. This may lead the clinician to a false sense of security and inadequate oxygen therapy to manage hypoxemia. However, SpO2 was comparable to co-oximetry, with a difference of +1.86% when comparing the baseline mean values. Clinicians often use pulse oximetry as a screen, with arterial blood gas analysis, when clinically indicated, as a more definitive, follow-up test. SpO2 clearly has limitations, particularly during states of systemic hypoperfusion or in patients with severe peripheral vascular disease, as noted above.20 21 22 Such limitations are often the impetus for ordering a follow-up arterial blood gas analysis. Our study shows that in the setting of ASCS, such "follow-up" arterial blood gases—if done with calculated oxyhemoglobin saturation—may have led to inappropriate action in at least 7 of our 13 patients. Our data show that, in patients with ASCS, SpO2 is a more accurate measure of oxyhemoglobin saturation than is SaO2CALC.

Following EXC, the discrepancy between Co-ox and SaO2CALC abated. This correlated with the decrease in HbS from a mean of 76.7 to 27.9%. Since most circulating hemoglobin molecules are changed from HbS to HbA, it is reasonable to expect that the calculation algorithm will more closely approximate the true saturation. A possible alternative explanation to our findings is that EXC led to an improvement in hypoxemia (which it clearly did) and that the improvement in PaO2 moved saturations to the flat portion of the ODC where differences in saturation measurement methods are more difficult to detect. To address this concern, we looked at 4 of 13 patients who remained hypoxemic (Co-ox < 90%, ie, on the steep portion of the ODC) even after exchange transfusion. The mean pre-EXC saturation values in these four patients were 88.7% (SaO2CALC), 81.3% (Co-ox), and 80.3% (SpO2). The baseline bias between Co-ox and SaO2CALC in this subgroup was large (-7.40 ± 2.46% [95% confidence interval, -11.31 to -3.49%]). This bias also abated after EXC (+0.30 ± 2.14% [95% confidence interval, -3.70 to 3.10%]). Mean post-EXC saturation values were 87.9% (SaO2CALC), 87.6% (Co-ox), and 87.3% (SpO2). Confidence intervals are somewhat wider here because of the small number of observations; nevertheless, it appears that the discrepancy among the three methods of determining saturation abates after HbS is replaced by HbA, independent of position on the ODC.

In conclusion, we have determined the following: (1) SaO2CALC overestimates Co-ox during ASCS; (2) the discrepancy between SaO2CALC and Co-ox abates after exchange transfusion; and (3) SpO2 more closely follows Co-ox than does SaO2CALC during ASCS.


   Footnotes
 
Abbreviations: ASCS = acute sickle chest syndrome; Co-ox = hemoglobin saturation measured by co-oximetry; EXC = RBC exchange transfusion; HbA = hemoglobin A; HbS = hemoglobin S; LED = light-emitting diode; ODC = oxygen dissociation curve; SaO2CALC = calculated hemoglobin saturation; SpO2 = pulse oximetry

Received for publication June 19, 1998. Accepted for publication November 24, 1998.


   References
TOP
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

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