Bayer's RapidLab 348 analyser has been successfully used to take blood gas measurements from participants in a high-profile study of altitude sickness at a breathtaking 5200 metres above sea level
At a recent Near Patient Testing Seminar organised by Bayer Diagnostics (a division of Bayer HealthCare), an audience of laboratory professionals heard how Bayer's RapidLab 348 analyser has been successfully used to take blood gas measurements from participants in a high-profile study of altitude sickness at a breathtaking 5,200 metres above sea level.
Andrew Sutherland from the Nuffield Department of Surgery at Oxford University explained how the analyser was taken high into the Bolivian mountains above La Paz as part of a research expedition organised by Altitude Physiological Expeditions (Apex) which has close links to the University of Edinburgh.
Led by Roger Thompson of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, this expedition, known as Apex2, was one of the largest-ever controlled-ascent high altitude research expeditions of its kind, encompassing a number of projects focused on the study of altitude physiology and illness.
The RapidLab 348 analyser, provided on loan by Bayer Diagnostics, was used to measure changes in the amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide in capillary blood taken from 50 people who participated in the expedition.
The resulting data was analysed to determine whether partial pressures of these gases are associated with the development of altitude sickness.
No such association was found.
Blood samples were obtained from the arterialised earlobes of the 50 participants at sea level and within six hours, three days and one week after arrival at 5200 metres.
These samples were analysed immediately following collection using the RapidLab 348 which is easily transportable (weighing just 13.1kg) and able to function at a barometric pressure of 400mmHg.
The analyser was tested throughout the expedition using Bayer-approved quality controls.
"Some people might argue that if a bunch of clinicians can deliver point of care testing at 5200 metres with no technical support, almost anything is achievable", said Sutherland.
"We were keen to have a reliable way of testing blood gases at altitude, and once we had optimised the RapidLab 348 for use during the expedition, it proved to be very robust.
"It survived much better than some of our laptops which would suddenly stop working without warning".
Use of the RapidLab 348 made it possible to collect valuable data on high altitude physiology which will contribute to a number of studies.
"Research into altitude sickness is important as more and more tourists are now venturing to high altitude places, and the acute condition can become fatal if left untreated", concluded Sutherland.
"I am also studying techniques for preventing injury to livers which have been donated for transplantation, as these can be deprived of oxygen for significant periods of time."
