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Article
October 2006
Methemoglobin
The principal function of the protein hemoglobin
contained in red blood cells is transport of oxygen in inspired air
from lungs to tissue cells. Although normally present in only trace
amounts, there are three species of hemoglobin that cannot
transport oxygen.
The three species, collectively called the
dyshemoglobins ...
Blood gases/acid-base
Article
October 2006
What can you do to close the QC gap?
This is the forth and final essay in a series of four essays on www.acutecaretesting.org.
The first essay, "Quality control in theory and practice – a gap analysis", raised the question: Has “the system” given front-line laboratory workers the knowledge and tools they need to make quality control decisions wisely? Or ...
Quality assurance
Article
July 2006
Quality control… the gap deepens
This is the third in a series of four essays on www.acutecaretesting.org.
The first essay, "Quality control in theory and practice – a gap analysis", raised the question: Has “the system” given front-line laboratory workers the knowledge and tools they need to make quality control decisions wisely? Or is there a...
Quality assurance
Glucose
Article
July 2006
Using the new NACB Practice Guidelines to enhance POCT
The National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry has
developed a Laboratory Medicine Practice Guideline for
point-of-care testing (POCT). This POCT guideline systematically
reviews the scientific literature linking POCT to patient outcome
and makes recommendations for the optimal use of POCT in patient
care.
This...
Point-of-care testing
Quality assurance
Article
July 2006
Intrapartum asphyxia
In Geneva in 1821, a French nobleman Jacques Alexandre Le Jumeau, Vicomte de Kergaradec, became the pioneer of modern fetal monitoring. He described the sound of the fetal heartbeat, as he used the newly invented stethoscope (by Laennec, France 1819) and applied it to the abdominal wall of a pregnant woman [1].
The...
Blood gases/acid-base
Neonatology
Glucose
Lactate
Article
July 2006
History of GFR and practical issues related to implementation
Although creatinine clearance has been the mainstay for
estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in laboratories for the
past half-century, prediction equations based on serum creatinine
and other routine serum analytes are now available which enable
reporting of a calculated GFR using the Modification of Diet in...
Glucose
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
Article
July 2006
Doctor testing and competency for POCT
As point-of-care testing (POCT) continues to expand in
the hospital environment, the desire of physicians to participate
in the performance of testing may increase. This article discusses
the required competencies for a physician who wishes to be involved
in laboratory testing and some practical considerations for...
Information management
Point-of-care testing
Article
April 2006
Reporting calculated GFR from serum creatinine
The National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP)
Laboratory Working Group reviewed problems related to serum
creatinine measurement for estimating glomerular filtration rate
(GFR) and prepared recommendations to standardize and improve
creatinine measurement.
The NKDEP recommends using the estimating equation...
Information management
Glucose
Creatinine/urea
Kidneys/fluids
Article
April 2006
Systemwide implementation of glycemic control
Clinical initiatives to maintain blood glucose (BG)
within a more normal range have emerged over the last decade as a
growing trend in clinical management of patients in acute care
settings. This trend has grown due to the increased focus of
research in glycemic control (GC) and results indicating that GC is...
Point-of-care testing
Glucose