Abstract
Every year, bar-headed geese (Anser indicus) perform some of the most remarkable trans-Himalayan migrations, and researchers are increasingly interested in understanding the physiology underlying their high-altitude flight performance. A major challenge is generating reliable measurements of blood parameters on wild birds in the field, where established analytical techniques are often not available. Therefore, we validated two commonly used portable clinical analysers (PCAs), the i-STAT and the HemoCue systems, for the analysis of blood parameters in bar-headed geese. The pH, partial pressures of O2 and CO2 (PO2 and PCO2), haemoglobin O2 saturation (sO2), haematocrit (Hct) and haemoglobin concentration [Hb] were simultaneously measured with the two PCA systems (i-STAT for all parameters; HemoCue for [Hb]) and with conventional laboratory techniques over a physiological range of PO2, PCO2 and Hct. Our results indicate that the i-STAT system can generate reliable values on bar-headed goose whole blood pH, PO2, PCO2 and Hct, but we recommend correcting the obtained values using the linear equations determined here for higher accuracy. The i-STAT is probably not able to produce meaningful measurements of sO2 and [Hb] over a range of physiologically relevant environmental conditions. However, we can recommend the use of the HemoCue to measure [Hb] in the bar-headed goose, if results are corrected. We emphasize that the equations that we provide to correct PCA results are applicable only to bar-headed goose whole blood under the conditions that we tested. We encourage researchers to validate i-STAT or HemoCue results thoroughly for their specific study conditions and species in order to yield accurate results.
Highlights
The accurate measurement of blood gases and pH in field studies on animal physiology is not accomplished
Our results indicate that pH measurements with the i-STAT system on bar-headed goose whole blood scaled linearly with control pH measurements performed with a thermostated electrode
The i-STAT system is a reliable tool for measuring blood parameters in the bar-headed goose
Summary
The accurate measurement of blood gases and pH in field studies on animal physiology is not accomplished. While proven and established methods are available in the laboratory, these techniques are typically not portable or suited for operation under most field conditions. Researchers have adopted portable clinical analysers (PCAs), such as the i-STAT system® (Abbot Point of Care Inc., Princeton, NJ, USA), for the analysis of blood parameters on a broad range of animal species, often without previous validation (Stoot et al, 2014). No previous study has validated the i-STAT for the analysis of blood parameters in an avian species. We have previously validated the i-STAT for its use on a teleost (Harter et al, 2014) and an elasmobranch species (Harter et al, 2015).
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