The discovery that D-dimer may be elevated in COVID-19 was first reported by physicians in Wuhan, China where the epidemic started.

Content Introduction Diagnosing and treating sepsis Can PCT testing improve health care? Can PCT testing reduce health-care cost? Can PCT testing improve health care at reduced cost? Introduction Procalcitonin (PCT) is a 116 amino acid prohormone of calcitonin and katacalcin, both involved with...

Thanks to KDIGO collaborative guidelines, diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI), defined as sudden decrease in kidney function (i.e. sudden decrease in glomerular filtration rate GFR), is simple and straight forwardly based on measurement of serum creatinine concentration and urine output. AKI is confirmed if any of...

Procalcitonin (PCT) is a peptide (116 amino acids) precursor of the calcium-regulating thyroid hormone, calcitonin. Serum/plasma levels are very low (<0.1 ng/mL) or even undetectable in healthy individuals. However, in response to cytokine release during systemic inflammation, PCT synthesis increases in extra-thyroidal ...

This article evaluates venous blood as an alternative to arterial blood for lactate measurement, highlighting the general considerations related to each of the three types of venous blood which can be used for lactate measurement: peripheral venous blood, central venous blood and mixed venous blood.

Procalcitonin (PCT) is a biomarker which is elevated in bacterial infection. Usefulness of PCT measurements in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) has to be proven by many studies. A single measurement of PCT on admission or outpatient visits is useful to diagnose CAP, estimate causative pathogens pattern, and for...

Bacterial infections are one of the major reasons for patients presenting to the ED - and the main cause of death in elderly patients. It is important to identify elderly patients with bacterial infections early and initiate treatment in the ED for a better outcome. However, an infection in an elderly patient can be...

Sepsis and septic shock are related consequences of infection that together are a common cause of serious morbidity and high mortality around the world. Survival after sepsis/septic shock depends on rapid diagnosis and treatment with intense monitoring in a critical care unit. Following a 2-year expert appraisal of...

The process of blood gas and pH measurement involves preheating the arterial blood sample to normal body temperature (37 °C) prior to measurement of pH, partial pressure of oxygen (pO₂) and partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO₂). This ensures that results reflect in vivo temperature condition. A minority of...

Few studies have addressed the predictive value of C-reactive protein at different cutoff values in appendicitis. We have determined the cutoff values for C-reactive protein levels at different periods during clinical evolution of appendicitis and established their use to support the diagnosis of appendicitis. The...