Overcoming the problem of pseudohypoxemia in myeloproliferative disorders: Another trick in the bag

Abstract

Pseudohypoxaemia or spurious hypoxaemia is a recurrent problem faced on arterial blood gas analysis in patients with hyperleucocytosis leading to management dilemmas and unnecessary respiratory interventions. Various methods have been suggested to reduce the magnitude of this problem. We report a case of pseudohypoxaemia due to blast crisis in a patient of chronic myeloid leukaemia where arterial blood gas analysed from precooled syringe helped us resolve the problem and hastened our weaning from oxygen therapy.