15-2 Art: 714377-01O Rev. Date: 27-Jan-17Before Use i-STAT Calibration Verification solutions require different temperature stabilizationtimes depending on whether or not oxygen is to be measured. If oxygen is to bemeasured, equilibrate the ampule to room (ambient) temperature for 4 hours. Ifnot, equilibrate the ampule to room (ambient) temperature for 30 minutes.Procedure STEP ACTION1 Immediately before use, shake the ampule vigorously for 5 to 10seconds to equilibrate the liquid and gas phases. To shake, hold theampule at the tip and bottom with forefinger and thumb to minimizeincreasing the temperature of the solution. If necessary, tap the tipof the ampule to send solution back into the bottom section of theampule.2 Protect fingers with gauze, tissue or glove, or use an ampule breakerto snap off the tip of the ampule at the neck.3 Immediately transfer the solution from the ampule into a plain capillarytube or plain syringe, and then immediately transfer the solution intoa cartridge.4 Immediately seal the cartridge and insert it into an analyzer – it isimportant not to expose the solution to room air since this will alterthe results.Note: Since aqueous based solutions such as controls lack the bufferingcapabilities of whole blood, the transfer process from ampule to cartridgemust be more expedient than with a patient sample.Transfer with CapillaryTubePlain capillary tubes are recommended to transfer aqueous calibration verificationmaterial from the ampule to the cartridge. When using a capillary tube (freshcapillary tubes with sufficient fill capacity are recommended), fill from the bottomof the ampule.Avoid drawing solution from the surface by placing a finger over the far end of thetube as it is inserted into the ampule.Once the open end of the tube rests at the bottom of the ampule, uncover the otherend to allow filling by capillary action.Transfer with Syringe Plain syringes are recommended to transfer aqueous calibration verification materialfrom the ampule to the cartridge. When using a syringe (fresh 1 mL or 3 mL sterilesyringes with 16 - 20 gauge needles are recommended), slowly draw approximately1 mL of solution from the bottom of the ampule.If air is trapped between the leading edge of the solution and the plunger, do notinvert the syringe to expel it; this will not affect solution near the front of the syringe.If air bubbles are continually drawn into the syringe, or if a bubble is trapped nearthe tip of the syringe, discard the ampule and syringe and use a fresh ampule andsyringe.Expel one or two drops from the syringe before filling the cartridge.i-STAT CALIBRATION VERIFICATION SET
