Cirrhosis of the liver is associated with increased respiration (hyperventilation) and consequent hypocapnic respiratory alkalosis. The severity of this acid-base disturbance correlates with severity of cirrhosis as well as severity of the abnormal hyperdynamic systemic circulation that characterizes this irreversible ...

In health serum total calcium concentration is maintained within the approximate reference range of 2.15-2.60 mmol/L largely by the synergistic action of two hormones: parathyroid hormone (PTH) and the vitamin-D-derived hormone, calcitriol. These two hormones control absorption of dietary calcium from the gut, renal...

It is rare indeed for change in medical practice to be based on the evidence of a single clinical study. But that is exactly what happened in 2001 following publication of a study conducted at the intensive care unit of a hospital in Leuven, Belgium.  Results of the now celebrated Leuven study indicated that...

In health plasma sodium concentration is maintained within the approximate reference range, 135-145 mmol/L (mEq/L). Hyponatremia (defined as plasma sodium The vast majority of affected patients have mild to moderate hyponatremia (plasma sodium in the range of 120-134 mmol/L), which is usually asymptomatic, especially ...

Health demands that the pH of blood is maintained within a narrow range (7.35-7.45). Monitoring this physiological imperative and detection of so-called acid-base disturbance, in which blood pH is either increased or decreased, is one of the principal clinical utilities of blood gas analysis.  Metabolic acidosis – one ...

Central laboratory or point-of-care testing of blood to determine natriuretic peptide (either BNP or N-terminal proBNP) concentration has a clinically established role in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with breathlessness; normal levels exclude a diagnosis of heart failure, a common cause of...

Potassium, the most frequently measured electrolyte in clinical practice is, in health, maintained at a blood serum concentration within the approximate reference range of 3.5 to 5.2 mmol/L. Physiological control of this potassium concentration depends crucially on the ability of the healthy kidney to regulate...

Blood gas analyzers often have an incorporated CO-oximeter that allows accurate determination of carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) and methemoglobin (MetHb) from the arterial blood sample submitted for routine blood gas analysis. For patients with suspected acute pulmonary embolism (PE), arterial blood gas analysis is often...

As the authors of a recent wide-ranging review of the subject make clear, point-of-care testing (POCT) has greatly expanded, in terms of both prevalence and functionality, over past decades. They report a predicted average growth rate in the use of POCT in the US of >15 % over the coming years.  The three authors (one ...

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...