Numerous method comparison studies of blood gas analyzer methods have been published in the literature; unfortunately, several studies show flaws in one or several aspects of experimental design, execution, statistical analysis or interpretation of results. The most common flaw seems to be an inability to separate...

Cord blood ph measurement at birth, using relatively simple and non-invasive methods, provides obstetricians and perinatologists with an objective and sensitive measure for the condition of the infant during the final stage of birth.  As long as certain criteria are observed, the reported values are reliable. Routine ...

High frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) is often used in neonatal intensive care. HFOV has been shown to decrease bronchopulmonary dysplasia [1,2,3] in preterm infants and to be very effective in the treatment of persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn when used in conjunction with inhaled nitric oxide ...

In the U.S. all clinical laboratory determinations, including blood gas testing performed at point of care (POC) or in the central laboratory, is regulated by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA).  Congress passed CLIA to ensure accurate, reliable, and timely test results regardless of...

Minimizing costs? Quality assurance? Training? Simpler devices? acutecaretesting.org asked four healthcare professionals in Australia and New Zealand what they saw as the main challenges of POCT. Answers were broad in spectrum. Nevertheless, three challenges were (directly or indirectly) mentioned repeatedly:...

When it comes to acid base, there is no getting around the name of Ole Siggaard-Andersen (OSA). acutecaretesting.org talks to the world-renowned Danish professor, who has become a legend in the field of blood gas.

Fluid and electrolyte management is an important and challenging part of the management of any very premature or critically ill newborn. The newborn's ability to maintain fluid and electrolyte homeostasis in the face of the vagaries of extrauterine life is compromised by immature renal function. The very premature...

Measurement of glucose and lactate after 30 minutes of storage at room temperature can give deviating results of up to 5 % [1,2] and 29 % of the reference value [3] respectively [1,4], due to in vitro glycolysis Glucose and lactate are both important parameters in the surveillance of patients in critical care...

External Quality Assessment (EQA) in medical laboratories have evolved over the past 50 years to provide more sophisticated systems compared with the simple participants’ analytical performance evaluation of earlier years.  There are clear distinctions between the proficiency testing schemes and the evolved External...

Non-invasive monitoring of oxygenation has become a standard procedure in neonatal critical care. Both transcutaneous pO₂ (tcpO₂) monitors and pulse oximeters involve methodological and practical issues that should be known to those using these devices in infants. tcpO₂ measurements are influenced by skin thickness, ...