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Articles and journal scans about Preanalytical phase
Article
January 2007
Pseudohyponatremia
Measurement of plasma/serum sodium concentration is one
of the most frequently requested blood tests in clinical practice.
Although usually performed in the laboratory, the test is also
available at the point of care using technology incorporated into
blood gas and other point-of-care analyzers.
In health, sodium...
Electrolytes
Preanalytical phase
Glucose
Kidneys/fluids
Journal Scan
December 2006
Temperature correction of blood gas results
Measurements of pH, pCO2 and
pO2 of arterial blood during blood gas analysis
are all made at normal body temperature, 37 °C. The sample is
warmed to that temperature prior to analysis. Blood gas analyzers
provide the option for these primary measurements to be
automatically "corrected" to the patient’s actual body...
Blood gases/acid-base
Preanalytical phase
Journal Scan
October 2006
Measuring acid-base variables – is arterial blood essential?
Conventionally, arterial blood is sampled for blood gas
analysis, but if the purpose is to assess acid-base balance, venous
blood may be an acceptable alternative. That is the main conclusion
of a recently published study conducted at the intensive care units
of two Melbourne hospitals.
The objective of the study was ...
Blood gases/acid-base
Preanalytical phase
Article
October 2006
Taking the myth out of capillary sampling
Hospital do Coração (HCor) in São Paolo, Brazil is a hospital for cardiac patients, many of whom are children and newborns.
Cardiac patients are closely monitored with respect to acid base and blood gases, and even the newborns have several arterial and venous blood samples drawn daily.
Dr Alberto Duarte from the...
Neonatology
Preanalytical phase
Blood gases/acid-base
Article
July 2006
An audit of the patient’s experience of arterial blood gas testing
Reprinted with permission from
British Journal of Nursing, 2004, Vol 13, No
9.
Arterial puncture is the most common method used to
obtain a sample for the measurement of arterial blood gases (ABGs)
and is essential to guide the prescription of long-term oxygen
therapy (LTOT) in patients with chronic hypoxic lung...
Preanalytical phase
Blood gases/acid-base
Journal Scan
January 2006
Alcohol hand rubs – safety concerns
The introduction of new clinical procedures may have
unanticipated adverse effects. The rising incidence of nosocomial
infection has highlighted a critical need for effective hand
hygiene among healthcare workers. During the past five years there
has been increasing acceptance by health authorities of the...
Electrolytes
Preanalytical phase
Article
January 2006
Preventing error in POCT with effective policies and procedures
Effectively written policies and procedures can help
contribute to an error-free POCT program. Sentara Healthcare has
incorporated policy and procedure development into their safety
program. It is coined Focus & Simplify and is about improving
the effectiveness of work processes and procedure
documentation.
Through ...
Point-of-care testing
Preanalytical phase
Journal Scan
January 2006
Falsely low pO2(a) – a case study of spurious hypoxemia
When blood gas analysis reveals a reduced pO2(a) in a patient without any immediate clinical evidence of hypoxemia, consideration should be given to the possibility that the result is falsely low, allowing a diagnosis of spurious or pseudo-hypoxemia.
Technical deficiencies (e.g. sampling of venous rather than...
Blood gases/acid-base
Preanalytical phase
Journal Scan
January 2006
More accurate capillary pO2(a) measurement
The standard sample for measurement of blood gases is arterial
blood. Arterial puncture is painful and, because of inherent
dangers, is usually only performed by qualified medical staff.
Arterialized earlobe capillary blood sampling provides a less
painful and safer alternative, which can be reliably performed
after...
Blood gases/acid-base
Preanalytical phase
Article
January 2006
Red-cell transfusion – risks and benefits - part 1 of 2
Although often of life-saving benefit, transfusion of
donated red cells is associated with considerable potential risk
for the recipient patient.
This article, directed at healthcare
professionals without any particular transfusion expertise,
outlines these risks and the measures taken to minimize them.
Particular...
Blood gases/acid-base
Preanalytical phase
Hemoglobins
Neonatology