CO2 is carbon dioxide. This article discusses the laboratory test to measures the amount of carbon dioxide in the liquid part of your blood, called the serum.
In the body, most of the CO2 is in the form of a substance called bicarbonate (HCO3-). Therefore, the CO2 blood test is really a measure of your blood bicarbonate level.
See also: Blood gases
Alternative NamesBicarbonate test; HCO3-; Carbon dioxide test; TCO2; Total CO2; CO2 test - serum
How the test is performedBlood is drawn from a vein, usually from the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand. The site is cleaned with germ-killing medicine (antiseptic). The health care provider wraps an elastic band around the upper arm to apply pressure to the area and make the vein swell with blood.
Next, the health care provider gently inserts a needle into the vein. The blood collects into an airtight vial or tube attached to the needle. The elastic band is removed from your arm.
Once the blood has been collected, the needle is removed, and the puncture site is covered to stop any bleeding.
In infants or young children, a sharp tool called a lancet may be used to puncture the skin and make it bleed. The blood collects into a small glass tube called a pipette, or onto a slide or test strip. A bandage may be placed over the area if there is any bleeding.
How to prepare for the testYour health care provider may tell you to stop taking any drugs that may affect test results. Corticosteroids and excessive use of antacids can increase bicarbonate levels.
How the test will feelWhen the needle is inserted to draw blood, you may feel moderate pain, or only a prick or stinging sensation. Afterward, there may be some throbbing.
Why the test is performedThe CO2 test is most often done as part of an electrolyte or basic metabolic panel. Changes in your CO2 level may suggest that you are losing or retaining fluid, which causes an imbalance in your body's electrolytes.
CO2 levels in the blood are influenced by kidney and lung function. The kidneys are mainly responsible for maintaining the normal bicarbonate levels.
Normal ValuesThe normal range is 20-29 mEq/L (milliequivalent per liter).
What abnormal results meanLower-than-normal levels may be due to:
Higher-than-normal levels may be due to:
The following conditions may also alter bicarbonate levels:
What the risks areVeins and arteries vary in size from one patient to another and from one side of the body to the other. Obtaining a blood sample from some people may be more difficult than from others.
Other risks associated with having blood drawn are slight but may include:
Seifter JL. Acid-base disorders. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 119.
CO2 is carbon dioxide. This article discusses the laboratory test to measures the amount of carbon dioxide in the liquid part of your blood, called the serum.
In the body, most of the CO2 is in the form of a substance called bicarbonate (HCO3-). Therefore, the CO2 blood test is really a measure of your blood bicarbonate level.
See also: Blood gases
Alternative NamesBicarbonate test; HCO3-; Carbon dioxide test; TCO2; Total CO2; CO2 test - serum
How the test is performedA blood sample is needed. For information on how this is done, see: Venipuncture
How to prepare for the testYour health care provider may tell you to stop taking any drugs that may affect test results. Corticosteroids and excessive use of antacids can increase bicarbonate levels.
How the test will feelWhen the needle is inserted to draw blood, you may feel moderate pain, or only a prick or stinging sensation. Afterward, there may be some throbbing.
Why the test is performedThe CO2 test is most often done as part of an electrolyte or basic metabolic panel. Changes in your CO2 level may suggest that you are losing or retaining fluid, which causes an imbalance in your body's electrolytes.
CO2 levels in the blood are influenced by kidney and lung function. The kidneys are mainly responsible for maintaining the normal bicarbonate levels.
Normal ValuesThe normal range is 23-29 mEq/L (milliequivalent per liter).
Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.
The examples above show the common measurements for results for these tests. Some laboratories use different measurements or may test different specimens.
What abnormal results meanLower-than-normal levels may be due to:
Higher-than-normal levels may be due to:
The following conditions may also alter bicarbonate levels:
What the risks areVeins and arteries vary in size from one patient to another and from one side of the body to the other. Obtaining a blood sample from some people may be more difficult than from others.
Other risks associated with having blood drawn are slight but may include:
Seifter JL. Acid-base disorders. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 119.
DuBose TD Jr. Disorders of acid-base balance. In: Brenner BM, eds. Brenner and Rector's The Kidney. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2008:chap 14.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 05/30/2011
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
No blood is not a chemical. Though there is a lab test that is called a blood chemistry it actually shows things like minerals and CO2 dissolved in the blood. Blood is a vital body organ that transports sugar, nutrients, oxygen, CO2, and waste through the body.
at a co2 of 100 or so the person will be confused and sleepy. The lungs taking in the oxygen are not exhaling forcefully enough to expel the co2. This is usually due to lung problems such as COPD
veins
Dissolved in plasma
Dissolved in plasma
No blood is not a chemical. Though there is a lab test that is called a blood chemistry it actually shows things like minerals and CO2 dissolved in the blood. Blood is a vital body organ that transports sugar, nutrients, oxygen, CO2, and waste through the body.
well i think the lungs i am taking a test haha
at a co2 of 100 or so the person will be confused and sleepy. The lungs taking in the oxygen are not exhaling forcefully enough to expel the co2. This is usually due to lung problems such as COPD
BMP blood test or Basic Metabolic Panel blood test comprises a set of tests that throw light on the functioning of a person's kidneys, blood sugar, calcium, electrolyte and acid/base levels. BMP blood test comprises testing for: Glucose,Calcium,Sodium, Potassium, CO2 (carbon dioxide, bicarbonate) and Chloride.
it is blood that has co2
does nothing to blood sugar, and lowers co2 to almost nothing.
If the concentration of CO2 in the lungs was higher or equal the concentration in the blood, there will be no diffusion of CO2 in the air of the lungs. The person will suffocate in this situation.
Carbon dioxide does.
veins
Use BTB
CO2 in the blood stream can be measured from bicarbonate in the blood or pCO2 (partial pressure). Normal CO2 measured from bicarbonate is 22-28 mEq/L Normal pCO2 is 35-45 mmHg
Red blood cells.