On the Significance of Validity and Precision in the Determination of Alveolar Carbon Dioxide Tension for Measurements of Alveolar Ventilation and DLCO

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Abstract
In 137 measurements of pulmonary diffusing capacity for CO (DLCO), arterial carbon dioxide tension was measured on the same blood sample with the Severinghaus electrode and the microequilibration technique of Siggaard Andersen et al. PaCO2 (alveolar CO2 tension) measured with electrode was systematically 2.9 mm Hg higher than with the microequilibration technique. The influence of this difference on the calculation of alveolar ventilation and steady state DLCO is analyzed.