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Articles and journal scans about Point-of-care testing
Article
October 2011
POC testing in the emergency department: Strategies to improve clinical and operational outcomes
Emergency departments (ED) are challenged by increasing patient visits, overcrowding and prolonged length of stay (LOS). The cause of these problems is multifactorial.
Delays in the laboratory are often perceived as contributing to delays in care and increased LOS. Implementation of selected point-of-care tests in...
D-dimer
Creatinine/urea
Natriuretic peptide
Troponins
Cardiac markers
Point-of-care testing
Process optimization
Article
July 2011
How to manage sepsis in the Emergency Department leading to a decreased mortality in ICU - the Critical Care Cascade
Patients with sepsis, severe sepsis and/or septic shock are at increased risk of death and organ dysfunction.
While morbidity and mortality of patients with severe traumatic injury, acute myocardial infarction or stroke have been significantly reduced during recent years by the implementation of well-coordinated...
Infection/sepsis
Glucose
Point-of-care testing
Lactate
Hemoglobins
Article
April 2011
Optimizing accuracy and precision for point-of-care tests
Point-of-care testing sites continue to increase in number due to the availability of easy-to-use devices that make it possible to provide test results very quickly relative to the central laboratory services. There is, however, mixed review regarding the accuracy and reliability of POCT results for patient care. It...
Point-of-care testing
Preanalytical phase
Quality assurance
Glucose
Hemoglobins
Lactate
Troponins
Article
April 2011
Use of tri-sodium citrate in hemodialysis
Hemodialysis and related treatments for those with failing kidneys all involve blood flow through a circuit outside the body. This extracorporeal circuit - the dialysis machine and its connections from and back to the body - is a non-physiological, pro-coagulant environment.
To counter the tendency for patients'...
Point-of-care testing
Electrolytes
Blood gases/acid-base
Creatinine/urea
Kidneys/fluids
Article
January 2011
Critical values in laboratory medicine
The process of patient sample testing, whether performed in the clinical laboratory or at the point of care, is the sum of three distinct phases. The first is the preanalytical phase, which includes test selection as well as sample collection and handling.
The second is the analytical or measuring phase that...
Bilirubin
Electrolytes
Point-of-care testing
Blood gases/acid-base
Glucose
Lactate
Creatinine/urea
Hemoglobins
Kidneys/fluids
Journal Scan
October 2010
Point-of-care testing speeds emergency care
When compared with conventional central laboratory testing (CLT), point-of-care testing (POCT) in the emergency department shortens the time taken for patient test results to be available, which in turn leads to speedier clinical decisions and much earlier patient treatment, hospital admission or discharge.
These are ...
Point-of-care testing
Article
October 2010
Creatinine measurement in the radiology department 2
Clinical laboratory measurement of serum/plasma creatinine concentration has been used to assess patient kidney function for well over 50 years.
With the incorporation of creatinine analyses to blood gas and other point-of-care platforms the test is now available outside the laboratory, at the bedside and in the...
Point-of-care testing
Glucose
Creatinine/urea
Article
October 2010
"Permissive hypercapnia" finding its place in clinical care
Over the years, as clinicians have learned how to utilize it, permissive hypercapnia has been finding a place in healthcare. However, it is important to bear in mind that numbers do not tell the entire story.
It is imperative to understand the entire clinical picture before you act. For example, an acidic pH of 7.21...
Blood gases/acid-base
Point-of-care testing
Kidneys/fluids
Article
July 2010
The significance of base excess (BEB) and base excess in the extra cellular fluid compartment (BEEcf)
BACKGROUND: Besides actual pH, base excess (ctH+B (mmol/L)) is of major importance since it is meant to reflect lactate acidosis due to fetal hypoxia; in vivo BEB is not independent from pCO2.
Independence is achieved by using the extended extracellular fluid (Ecf) for dilution of hemoglobin (cHbB), reducing cHbB to ...
Blood gases/acid-base
Neonatology
Point-of-care testing
Lactate
Hemoglobins
Article
July 2010
FAQ concerning the acid-base status of the blood
Some of the frequently asked questions are: Should we use BE (base excess) or SID (strong ion difference) as a measure of a metabolic acid-base disturbance? Is there any difference between BB (buffer base) and SID? Should we use SBE (standard base excess), i.e. BE referring to the expanded extracellular fluid or...
Blood gases/acid-base
Point-of-care testing
Glucose
Lactate
Creatinine/urea
Hemoglobins