Children are not just small adults, and present unique challenges to the clinical laboratory. Blood specimens must be very small; for example, total blood volumes in a premature infant can be as small as 115 mL. Genetic diseases frequently must be detected in the newborn period. Reference values change with age....

The application of transcutaneous pO₂/pCO₂ monitoring is essential in optimizing the ventilatory management of critically ill newborns. Application areas include high-frequency oscillatory ventilation initiation, transitioning modes of ventilation, and inter-facility transport.

Electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) during labor has been performed for 40 years. However, the specificity in diagnosing asphyxia is still insufficient. The combination of EFM and fetal scalp-blood sampling was introduced shortly after the introduction of EFM.  Although this monitoring ensures a better sensitivity and...

Neonates are subject to more preanalytical influences than any other population group. Many of these are related to the maturity of the infant and its adaptation to extra-uterine life. The necessary need for capillary blood collection and processing of small quantities of blood introduce additional preanalytical...

The results of laboratory tests are used in many clinical settings. In the main, results obtained in point-of-care testing (POCT) are used either in monitoring or in diagnosis. Analytical quality does affect outcomes in these clinical situations. Numerical estimates of the quality required for laboratory tests to...

How do small labs cope with the demands of modern quality assurance? In this interview, Ruth Lock, head of the laboratory of the Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Dept. of the Copenhagen County Hospital in Glostrup, Denmark, tells how her lab keeps up with demands with the help of training and quality control.

While analytical quality standards seem well established, there has been a paucity in the development of such standards for the preanalytical phase.  Technical recommendations regarding sampling, transport, and identification have been developed in national (NCCLS, DIN) and international (IFCC, ISO) consensus...

An altitude of 5,000 meters above sea level or just above is just about what humans can bear - be it during an acute ascent or for permanent living. This study describes how bodily functions of crucial importance to survival at high altitude adjust after abrupt exposure to severe hypoxia.

Two months of acclimatization to high altitude leads to an adaptation of the aerobic capacity of the myocardium, characterized by an increased ability to extract O₂ from the coronary vascular bed. An increased mitochondrial volume and activity of oxidative enzymes or improved diffusion conditions could be involved.

Providing continuous technical support and reliable test data collection for point-of-care blood gas testing is a difficult task for many laboratories.  Here we describe how the implementation of an integrated instrument control and data management system for point-of-care blood gas testing has streamlined these...