Respiratory Cloud Clinical Skills Library

Clinical knowledge review

Contraindications

Use these educational prompts with current orders, protocols, patient assessment, facility policy, and supervising-clinician direction.

Skill

Arterial Line Sampling

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Contraindications Conditions identified as reasons to avoid or defer the procedure pending authorized clinical review. View list Relative contraindications Factors requiring individualized risk-benefit assessment, added precautions, or a modified approach. View list

Contraindications

Review these conditions before proceeding and follow current orders, protocols, facility policy, and supervising-clinician direction.

  • Do not sample through an infected, visibly damaged, leaking, malpositioned, or nonfunctional arterial line or when distal perfusion is compromised until the line is evaluated.

Relative contraindications

Use individualized risk-benefit assessment, added precautions, or a modified approach as authorized for the patient and setting.

  • A line that is the sole access for a vasoactive or incompatible infusion requires a specific safe-sampling plan and may not be suitable for routine sampling.

Sources

Supporting sources include peer-reviewed research, evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, professional standards, and foundational respiratory care references, as applicable to the skill.

  1. Çuhadar S, Özkanay-Yörük H, Köseoğlu M, Katırcıoğlu K. Detection of preanalytical errors in arterial blood gas analysis. Biochem Med (Zagreb). 2022;32(2):020708. doi:10.11613/BM.2022.020708. PMID:35799987.
  2. Morales Fernández P, Castro Olmo FJ, González-Martín S, et al. Determination of the Minimum Discard Volume in the Extraction of Blood Samples Through Arterial Catheters in Critical Patients. Nurs Crit Care. 2026;31(3):e70493. doi:10.1111/nicc.70493. PMID:41983379.