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Articles by Chris Higgins
Showing articles by "Chris Higgins"
Article
October 2015
Pneumatic tube transport of blood samples – an update
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...
Process optimization
Blood gases/acid-base
Preanalytical phase
Glucose
Hemoglobins
Article
June 2015
Spurious sodium results (2) pseudohypernatremia
Plasma sodium concentration is measured with an ion-specific electrode (ISE) using either an undiluted sample (direct ISE) or diluted sample (indirect ISE).
This is the second of two linked articles highlighting the spurious sodium values that can occur if an indirect ISE method is used to analyze plasma samples with ...
Electrolytes
Point-of-care testing
Article
March 2015
Spurious sodium results (1) – pseudohyponatremia
Disturbance of sodium balance is a common occurrence among hospitalized patients that can, if not identified and treated, cause significant morbidity; severe disturbance is potentially lethal. So estimation of plasma sodium concentration is one of the most frequently requested blood tests.
Historically, plasma sodium ...
Electrolytes
Point-of-care testing
Glucose
Kidneys/fluids
Article
December 2014
Fetal scalp blood sampling
Sampling capillary blood from the fetal scalp during labor of pregnancy, in order to determine its pH, was introduced to obstetric care in the late 1960s.
Despite current skepticism surrounding its utility, most notably in the US, fetal-scalp blood sampling (FSBS) is still considered a useful fetal monitoring test...
Blood gases/acid-base
Neonatology
Glucose
Preanalytical phase
Lactate
Article
October 2014
Umbilical-cord blood gas analysis
The pH, base excess and pCO2 (acid-base status) of arterial blood flowing through the umbilical cord provides valuable objective evidence of the metabolic condition of neonates at the moment of birth; a notion that has assured a role for the blood gas analyzer in hospital delivery suites in cases of suspected fetal...
Blood gases/acid-base
Neonatology
Glucose
Lactate
Hemoglobins
Kidneys/fluids
Article
July 2014
Postmortem CO-oximetry
CO-oximetry provides the means for automated spectrophotometric measurement of the concentration of total hemoglobin (ctHb) in blood and the percentages of the four hemoglobin derivatives that total hemoglobin comprises: oxyhemoglobin (O2Hb); deoxyhemoglobin (HHb); carboxyhemoglobin (COHb); and methemoglobin (MetHb)....
Blood gases/acid-base
Hemoglobins
Article
May 2014
Oxygen saturation – better measured than calculated
Ensuring adequate oxygen delivery to tissues is a prime objective of acute/critical medical care. There is no routinely available method for directly monitoring tissue oxygenation; instead clinicians must depend on available indirect measures.
Although not the only factor to be considered, measurement of the amount of ...
Blood gases/acid-base
Article
April 2013
Why measure blood gases? A three-part introduction for the novice. Part 3.
Arterial blood gases (ABG), a clinical test that involves measurement of the pH of arterial blood and the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide dissolved in arterial blood, is routinely used in the diagnosis and monitoring of predominantly critically/acutely ill patients being cared for in hospital emergency rooms and...
Blood gases/acid-base
Creatinine/urea
Article
April 2012
Why measure blood gases? A three-part introduction for the novice. Part 2.
Arterial blood gases (ABG), a clinical test that involves measurement of the pH of arterial blood and the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide dissolved in arterial blood, is routinely used in the diagnosis and monitoring of predominantly critically/acutely ill patients being cared for in hospital emergency rooms and...
Blood gases/acid-base
Article
January 2012
Why measure blood gases? A three-part introduction for the novice - Part 1
Arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis generates a number of parameters (listed in BOX 5) that together allow assessment of pulmonary gas exchange, blood oxygenation and acid-base balance. These physiological functions of the blood, respiratory and renal systems are disturbed in a range of respiratory and non-respiratory...
Blood gases/acid-base
Hemoglobins