Sampling arterialised-venous blood from a dorsal-hand vein during exercise without compromising a competitive cycling position.

The arterialisation of dorsal-hand venous blood, using a new hand-heating sleeve that did not disrupt a normal competitive cycling position, was evaluated in 10 male cyclists. Hand-heating was achieved by pumping heated water through a rubberised panel which rested against the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the right hand. Subjects were cannulated near the dorsal venous arch in both hands and blood samples were collected simultaneously at rest under normothermic conditions for 9 subjects, and at rest and after 10, 20 and 30 min of exercise at 50% of the anaerobic threshold for 10 subjects, when only the right hand was heated. No bilateral differences for PO2, PCO2 or pH were observed between normothermic hands at rest (p > 0.05). The heating sleeve increased the hand temperature (p < 0.05) and produced a significant (p < 0.05) arterialisation of blood samples collected from a dorsal-hand vein, compared to values observed in the non-heated hand, at rest and during 30 min of exercise. PO2 and pH were about 10 mm Hg and 0.01 units higher, and PCO2 was about 1.5 mm Hg lower, for samples collected from the heated compared to the non-heated hand. This new method of hand-heating was effective in arterialising venous blood and minimised the need for variation to a normal, competitive cycling position.