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...

This second of two articles on understanding the clinical value of measuring urea concentration explores the clinical value of simultaneous measurement of urea and creatinine and calculating the urea:creatinine ratio. The article discusses the causes of increased and decreased ratio as well as the clinical application ...

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...

This first of two articles on understanding the clinical value of measuring urea concentration dives into the physiological topics, such as urea production and renal processing of urea as well as the causes of increased and reduced urea concentration. Kidney disease is associated with reduced urea excretion and...

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...

The significance of good practice during the preanalytical phase of clinical laboratory investigation cannot be overemphasized. One aspect of the preanalytical phase – the transport of samples – is considered here; in particular the transport of samples via pneumatic tube systems. This is an update of a previous...

With the ultimate goal of improving patient care, adoption of point-of-care testing (POCT) continues to grow at a high rate. The ability to deliver fast and reliable results near the patient is a key driver for improving patient outcomes and optimizing clinical workflow. While there are many advantages, controlling...

This article first appeared in Pathology in Practice (Hobba H, Silver L. Evolution of POC testing. Pathology in Practice 2013; 14 [2]: 63) and is reproduced here by kind permission (www.pathologyinpractice.com). © 2013 kdm communications limited Point-of-care (POC) testing has allowed the pathology department in...

D-dimer testing can combined with assessment of pretest probability be used to rule out VTE in patients with a sufficiently low pretest probability of VTE. Patients with a negative D-dimer result can be ruled out, while patients with a positive D-dimer result need to have imaging performed for confirmatory diagnosis. ...