Obesity hypoventilation syndrome laboratory findings

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

If OHS is suspected, various tests are required for its confirmation. Arterial blood gas levels are determined to measure oxygen and carbon dioxide levels; this requires a blood sample from an artery, usually the radial artery.

Formal criteria for diagnosis of OHS are:

• Body mass index over 30 kg/m² (a measure of obesity, obtained by taking ones weight in kilograms and dividing it by ones height in meters squared)
• Arterial carbon dioxide level over 45 mmHg or 6.0 kPa as determined by arterial blood gas measurement
• No alternative explanation for hypoventilation, such as use of narcotics

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