Reprinted from Ann Lab Med 2013 Sep; 33(5):309-18. Christenson E, Christenson RH: "The role of cardiac biomarkers in the diagnosis and management of patients presenting with suspected acute coronary syndrome". Myocardial infarction (MI) is the leading cause of death in the developed world. Biomarkers have an...

Oxygen saturation can be obtained from many different types of devices. This range of choices causes some confusion as to definitions of measured variables and their clinical interpretation. This article gives some historical background and describes the two different ways saturation can be obtained from a blood gas ...

The understanding and management of ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) relationships represents a cornerstone of intensive care unit (ICU) patient management.  The physiologic shunt calculation can reliably reflect the degree of gas exchange attributable to intrapulmonary disease or intracardiac shunting regardless of other ...

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.

Our ability to assess the oxygenation status in critical care with a high degree of accuracy has improved as a result of recent developments in optical technology. The determination of the oxygenation status, however, remains a complex issue due to its multifaceted nature. This review discusses the definitions,...