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 ...

Metformin, a blood-glucose-lowering drug widely used for treatment of type 2 diabetes, is associated with risk of potentially fatal metabolic (lactic) acidosis. This can occur not only following overdose but also at therapeutic dose in patients with pre-existing renal or liver disease. Results of arterial blood gas...

Of all blood chemistry parameters, sodium is one of the most frequently measured among hospitalized patients, including those admitted to critical care units. The assay is generally available on point-of-care analyzers sited in these units. Incidence of abnormality in plasma sodium concentration among critically ill...

The prognostic value of measuring umbilical cord blood pH at birth is examined in a recent meta-analysis study. Cord blood acidosis (usually defined as cord blood pH <7.0) is considered evidence that the newborn baby was deprived of oxygen during labor, and in some maternity units cord blood pH is used in the...

Metabolic acidosis, the most common disturbance of acid-base balance among the critically ill, is characterized by arterial blood gas results that reveal primary decrease in bicarbonate and compensatory decrease in pCO₂(a). Blood pH is reduced unless respiratory compensation is complete. It is most often the result of ...

Raised blood glucose (hyperglycemia) is a common feature of critical illness, irrespective of diabetes status. A landmark Belgian study conducted in 2001 demonstrated that this hyperglycemia is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. As a result of that study maintenance of normal blood glucose, with...

Arterial blood gas analysis includes measurement of partial pressure of oxygen (pO₂(a)) and calculation of oxygen saturation (sO₂(a)), both useful for assessing patient oxygenation status. Hypoxemia is diagnosed if pO₂(a) is below the lower limit of the reference range (10.6 kPa, 88 mmHg). Pseudo-hypoxemia is...

Transitory increase in blood glucose concentration (hyperglycemia) is a very common feature of critical illness and severe trauma. Despite its transitory nature this hyperglycemia is associated with adverse effect and there is a consensus that critically ill patients, irrespective of their diabetic status, benefit...

Around a third of critically ill patients are given transfusion of packed red cells but there is an ever-growing body of research evidence to suggest that blood transfusion may not be as beneficial to all patients as was once supposed.  Some studies, for example, have revealed that patients given transfusion might be...

The significance of preanalytical technique for accurate arterial blood gas analysis is the focus of a recently published study. The authors of this study sought to quantitate the analytical error associated with collection of venous rather than arterial blood, delay in arterial blood analysis and contamination of...