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 ...

Reprinted from Ann Lab Med 2014 Sep; 34(4):263-73. Procalcitonin (PCT) is used as a biomarker for the diagnosis of sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock. At the same time, PCT has also been used to guide antibiotic therapy. This review outlines the main indications for PCT measurement and points out possible...

This article first appeared in Pathology in Practice (Hobba H, Silver L. Evolution of POC testing. Pathology in Practice 2013; 14 [2]: 63) and is reproduced here by kind permission (www.pathologyinpractice.com). © 2013 kdm communications limited Point-of-care (POC) testing has allowed the pathology department in...

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 ...

D-dimer testing can combined with assessment of pretest probability be used to rule out VTE in patients with a sufficiently low pretest probability of VTE. Patients with a negative D-dimer result can be ruled out, while patients with a positive D-dimer result need to have imaging performed for confirmatory diagnosis. ...

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...

This short review aims to put the diagnostic options provided by state-of-the-art POCT  technology into perspective with the clinical challenges faced by physicians treating patients presenting with acute dyspnea.  Natriuretic peptides, hemoglobin, D-dimers and venous blood gases play a key role in the early...

Barnsley Emergency Department (ED), which recruited patients into the RATPAC trial, initiated a point-of-care (POC) pathway for low-risk chest pain patients from December 2011. All patients who underwent POC testing for chest pain between December 2011 and July 2012 were identified. Patient notes were then examined...

Point-of-care pathology testing is becoming increasingly common in hospitals, clinics and doctors’ offices; anywhere where time is critical and results are required at the patient’s side.  However, results must be accurate and reproducible to be meaningful, and it is imperative that a close eye is kept on...

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...