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Journal scans
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Journal Scan
March 2019
Increase in blood lipids causes falsely low bicarbonate results
Arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis allows full assessment of patient acid-base status predominantly via the following three parameters generated during the analysis: arterial blood pH; partial pressure of carbon dioxide in arterial blood pCO2(a); and concentration of bicarbonate (HCO3) in arterial blood. Two of these...
Blood gases/acid-base
Electrolytes
Journal Scan
December 2018
Understanding base excess – a review article
Arterial blood gas analysis has two clinical utilities: assessment of blood oxygenation status and assessment of acid-base status. Assessment of acid-base status depends on measurement of pH and partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) in a sample of arterial blood using electrodes housed in the blood gas analyzer,...
Blood gases/acid-base
Journal Scan
December 2018
An assessment of variability in plasma potassium measurement
Data collected during a multicenter phase-3 clinical trial of a novel drug treatment for hyperkalemia (raised blood potassium) has provided a serendipitous opportunity to examine the variability of plasma potassium measurement. The trial required recruitment of patients with plasma potassium in the hyperkalemic range...
Preanalytical phase
Quality assurance
Electrolytes
Journal Scan
November 2018
Rare cause of hypoglycemia highlighted in case study report
Blood glucose concentration is normally maintained within the approximate reference range of 3.5-8.5 mmol/L (63-153 mg/dL) largely by the synergistic opposing action of two pancreatic hormones: insulin and glucagon. Insulin secretion, induced by rising blood glucose concentration, causes it to fall; whilst glucagon...
Glucose
Journal Scan
November 2018
Challenging the use of epinephrine during resuscitation from cardiac arrest
Arterial blood gases and other “acute care” biochemical blood tests are frequently ordered during recovery from cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest, sudden loss of blood flow consequent on cessation of heart activity, is the ultimate medical emergency, frequently exploited for the dramatic nature of its presentation...
Blood gases/acid-base
Information management
Journal Scan
October 2018
Early point-of-care testing in ED improves and speeds patient care
Decreased resources coupled with increased demand represents a major problem for healthcare providers that is most publicly manifest in overstretched hospital emergency room (ER) departments around the world. Prolonged waiting times and extended periods of overcrowding in ER, which are increasingly the norm, result in ...
Point-of-care testing
Process optimization
Information management
Journal Scan
October 2018
Is venous blood an acceptable sample for assessment of acid-base status in patients with sepsis/septic shock?
The gold standard sample for blood gas analysis is arterial blood, whereas venous blood is the standard sample for all other biochemical and hematological tests. By comparison with venipuncture, the procedure used to sample venous blood, collection of an arterial blood sample is technically more difficult, as well as...
Blood gases/acid-base
Process optimization
Quality assurance
Journal Scan
September 2018
Reducing risk of iatrogenic anemia by revising phlebotomy practice
A simple change in phlebotomy practice – switching from conventional to low-volume sample blood tubes – results in a 42 % reduction in patient blood loss, and consequent reduced risk of iatrogenic anemia. That is the positive headline finding of this recently published study conducted at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in ...
Process optimization
Preanalytical phase
Journal Scan
September 2018
Towards a fuller understanding of acute kidney injury (AKI)
Thanks to KDIGO collaborative guidelines, diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI), defined as sudden decrease in kidney function (i.e. sudden decrease in glomerular filtration rate GFR), is simple and straight forwardly based on measurement of serum creatinine concentration and urine output. AKI is confirmed if any of...
Kidneys/fluids
Infection/sepsis
Journal Scan
August 2018
Classical presentation of methemoglobinemia treated by a non-classical method – a case report
Hemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying protein contained in red blood cells that ensures delivery of inspired oxygen from lungs to all tissue cells. This process depends on oxygen forming a reversible ionic link with ferrous iron (Fe++) contained within the hemoglobin molecule. Methemoglobin (MetHb) is a dysfunctional form ...
Hemoglobins
Blood gases/acid-base