Many drugs, when taken in overdose, can deleteriously affect acid-base balance, leading to abnormal arterial blood gas (ABG) results. Aspirin is one such, and perhaps because of its easy availability, one of the most common of all drugs to be taken in overdose. Salicylate (aspirin) poisoning thus represents the most...

Most babies born prematurely have respiratory problems and require assisted ventilation and oxygen therapy to ensure adequate tissue oxygenation. Supplemental oxygen is a double-edged sword for these babies because although of life-preserving benefit, oxygen in excess is toxic.  The principal (but not the only)...

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 ...

In the intensive care unit blood is frequently sampled for arterial blood gases via an indwelling arterial catheter. Around a third of critically ill patients have such catheters inserted; they allow not only easy access for blood sampling but also continuous monitoring of blood pressure. In a short editorial the...

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...

The following is a copy of an article from Evidence-Based Practice, 2007; 10(12):1-2. Venous thromboembolism refers to a spectrum of disease that includes both pulmonary embolus and deep-venous thrombosis (DVT). More than 250,000 people in the United States are diagnosed annually with venous thromboembolic disease;...

Some of the frequently asked questions are: Should we use BE (base excess) or SID (strong ion difference) as a measure of a metabolic acid-base disturbance?  Is there any difference between BB (buffer base) and SID? Should we use SBE (standard base excess), i.e. BE referring to the expanded extracellular fluid or...

The growing role of cardiac markers has been elucidated in patients with acute coronary syndrome, heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases. The markers can be cytosolic like heart-type fatty-acid-binding protein (H-FABP) and creatine kinase MB (CKMB), myofibrillary like troponin T (TnT) and cardio-endocrine...

BACKGROUND: Besides actual pH, base excess (ctH⁺_B (mmol/L)) is of major importance since it is meant to reflect lactate acidosis due to fetal hypoxia; in vivo BE_B is not independent from pCO₂. Independence is achieved by using the extended extracellular fluid (Ecf) for dilution of hemoglobin (cHb_B), reducing cHb_B to ...

PURPOSE – The purpose of this article is to discuss lean as a learning system in a hospital ward. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH – Discusses lean as a learning system in a hospital ward. FINDINGS – The Toyota veterans are fond of saying, lean is about “making people before making parts” or, in the wards’ context,...