Bedside diagnostic blood testing: its accuracy, rapidity, and utility in blood conservation

Article Abstract:

Blood testing of critically ill patients takes a long time, requires opening a vein and drawing a significant amount of blood, and is often inaccurate. New technology has led to the development of portable instruments using microchemistry to provide blood test results quickly, using only a few drops of blood. However, these machines have not yet been thoroughly tested. To determine the accuracy of these machines, blood samples from 850 patients were tested by both methods over a one-year period. Questions about the drawing and storage of blood samples, and their effects on the analysis, are discussed. When blood is sent to the laboratory, other sources of error, such as loss of specimens, inaccurate labelling and errors in communication may occur. Quality assurance is a problem, with one study concluding that 43 percent of the 227 laboratories included in the survey did not follow appropriate quality control procedures. Quality control measures must also be followed for bedside analysis. This new technology will make it possible to improve treatment by making the results of blood tests available faster and by requiring less blood to be drawn. The new machines were found to be as accurate as laboratory instrument analysis. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Usage, Innovations, Evaluation, Medical tests, Critical care medicine, blood, Microchemistry

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Evaluation of a rapid bedside assay for detection of serum cardiac troponin T

Article Abstract:

A rapid bedside blood test to detect cardiac troponin T (cTnT) may effectively identify which patients with chest pain have sustained a heart attack. CTnT is a protein in the cells of the heart muscle that is released into the blood stream when the heart is damaged. Researchers performed the cTnT test on blood samples from 100 patients who were hospitalized for chest pain. Of these, 34 fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for a heart attack. The sensitivity of the rapid cTnT test in detecting a heart attack was 33% in patients who sought care within two hours of developing chest pain and 86% in those who sought care eight hours after they began experiencing chest pain. The test was 86% to 100% specific in detecting a heart attack. Patients who had a positive cTnT test within eight hours after developing chest pain were approximately six times more likely to have had a heart attack than the other patients.

Measurement, Heart attack, Blood, Muscle proteins

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Diagnostic Accuracy of a Bedside D-dimer Assay and Alveolar Dead-Space Measurement for Rapid Exclusion of Pulmonary Embolism: A Multicenter Study

Article Abstract:

A normal D-dimer assay result and a normal alveolar dead-space fraction may indicate that a person does not have pulmonary embolism, according to a study of 380 patients who were believed to have this condition. Pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot forms in a vein and then travels to the lungs.

Pulmonary embolism

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