Blood gases, electrolytes and metabolic monitoring in children with acute failure of vital functions.

The priority of direct monitoring of blood gases in Paediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) increased substantially after introduction of the Deep Picture method and Oxygen Status Algorithm (OSA) (1) into medical practice. We used the advantages of these methods as a prerequisite for a more detailed and deeper analysis of the blood oxygen profile (2, 3). The aims of the present paper were: 1. To illustrate the applicability of the capacity coefficients beta 1.0, beta 2.3, beta 5-4 of the transported oxygen and the "Useful Ratio" (UR) index of the haemoglobin oxygen, previously described by us, and the benefit derived from differentiation of the states of hyperoxia, normoxia and hypoxia; hyperoxaemia, normoxaemia and hypoxaemia on the Blood Oxygen Binding Curve (BOBC) in critically ill newborns, infants and children. 2. To expand the diagnostic capacity of the Blood Gas Map (BGM) used with the OSA in children and to supplement the arterial oxygen diagnostics with new indices that reflect the relationship between oxygen uptake and oxygen transported in the body. 3. To share our experience in PICU related to the acid-base-electrolytes relationship and to the possibility of assessing the reno-hepatic regulation according to the changes of the acid-base status in critically ill children.