INTRODUCTION: PRESENT BLOOD GAS AND ELECTROLYTE INSTRUMENTATION IS DESIGNED PRIMARILY FOR HOSPITAL USE.

INTRODUCTION: PRESENT BLOOD GAS AND ELECTROLYTE INSTRUMENTATION IS DESIGNED PRIMARILY FOR HOSPITAL USE. A FIELD UNIT MUST BE PORTABLE, TECHNICALLY EASY TO OPERATE, AND BE OPERATIONAL ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER BEING TAKEN FROMSTORAGE OR HAVING BEEN TRANSPORTED. PROJECTED OBJECTIVE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO DEVELOP A PROTOTYPE FIELDLABORATORY FOR MEASUREMENT OF BLOOD PO2, PCO2, PH, HCO 3, K K+. METHODS: THE FILED LABORATORY WILL BE DEVELOPED USING SENSOR TECHNOLOGY WHICH BIOCHEM IS PRESENTLY USING IN THEIR COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS; A NON-GLASS POLYMERIC PH AND DUAL FUNCTION PH/PCO2 SENSOR FOR INTRAVASCULAR MEARSUREMENT ( USING BIOCHEM'S EXCLUSIVE H+ SELECTIVE MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGY), A MUSCLE TISSUE PH SENSOR, TRANSCUTANEOUS PO2 AND PCO2 SENSORS AND ION SELECTIVE K+ MEMBRANE INTRAVASCULAR AND MUSCLE-TISSUE SENSOR. METHODS OF CALIBRATION AND CLEANING OF THE ELECTRODES WHICH ARE MOST APPROPRIATE FOR A FIELD UNIT WILL BE ESTABLISHED. AFTER THE ELECTRODE SYSTEM HAS BEEN DEVELOPED, THE ELECTRONICS PACKAGEWILL BE REDESIGNED FOR FIELD USE.