The appropriate number of significant figures is important in order to have a meaningful level of resolving power when reporting analytical concentrations. Various methods or criteria can be used when estimating how many significant figures are needed. In most cases three significant figures (two true plus one...

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 ...

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...

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 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;...

CONTEXT: Sensitive D-dimer assays have been developed to exclude the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and have exhibited great success when used in conjunction with a diagnostic algorithm, including pretest probability scoring and a compression ultrasound (CUS). Improving specificity of D-dimer assays would...

In about 30-40 % of ischemic strokes, even after an extensive clinical investigation, it is not possible to determine any one etiology. It is possible that a fraction of these strokes, named cryptogenic, happen after an episode of paroxystic atrial fibrillation (AF) that was not registered. Strokes due to atrial...

The field of point-of-care testing (POCT) is entering a period of rapid expansion. This expansion is being driven by new evidence for clinical effectiveness of POCT, and new technologies that allow consolidation of testing onto smaller platforms. Technological improvements will also lead to increased accuracy for...

Patients with heart failure (HF) experience significant morbidity and mortality and those admitted for acute decompensated HF are at particularly high risk for adverse events. Hospitalization represents the major component of the high cost associated with the management of patients with HF. Accordingly, early and...

Recent studies of D-dimer as a “rule-out” test for deep venous thrombosis (DVT) frequently have used duplex ultrasound rather than venography as the gold standard. Because duplex ultrasound has limited ability to image the calf veins, there is potential for ultrasound studies to classify patients with calf DVT as...