Archives of pathology & laboratory medicine
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Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. · Jul 1996
Pneumatic transport exacerbates interference of room air contamination in blood gas samples.
To characterize and control the potential interference to P(O2) determinations when blood contaminated with air is sent via a pneumatic tube system (PTS). ⋯ Interference can be minimized by carefully purging samples of all air bubbles using the following protocol: invert syringe to check for air bubbles, then retap and reexpel bubbles if necessary. Personnel that collect and send blood gas samples via PTS should be educated about the problem of interference. Modifications both to pneumatic sample transport systems and to blood gas syringes should be investigated to minimize the effect.
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Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. · Jul 1996
Discrepancies in osmolal gaps and calculated alcohol concentrations.
To estimate unexplained osmolal gaps (UEOG) during ethanol ingestions after accounting for measured ethanol concentrations and to explore the causes of observed discrepancies. DESIGN AND SPECIMENS: A random convenience sample of serum specimens with a request to perform osmometry for the detection of alcohols was studied. ⋯ The potential range of osmolal gaps seen during ethanol ingestions after accounting for ethanol is demonstrated to be greater than in previous studies, which have included a lower proportion of ethanol-intoxicated subjects in their study sample.
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Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. · Jul 1996
Comment Letter Case ReportsCentral nervous system Mycobacterium avium complex infection.
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Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. · Apr 1996
Multicenter StudyBedside glucose monitoring quality control practices. A College of American Pathologists Q-Probes study of program quality control documentation, program characteristics, and accuracy performance in 544 institutions.
To investigate the adequacy of bedside glucose monitoring (BGM) quality control documentation and monitoring, characterize program structure and organization, and identify characteristics associated with the ability to produce accurate results. ⋯ There is a need for improving compliance with QC documentation, improving appropriate corrective action follow-through, decreasing the frequency of inappropriate patient testing, and improving BGM accuracy performance. We provide recommendations for improvement.
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Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. · Apr 1996
Histologic, microbiologic, and clinical correlates of the diagnosis of sarcoidosis by transbronchial biopsy.
To determine the frequency of positive microbiologic cultures in patients with epithelioid granulomas and negative histochemical stains for microorganisms in transbronchial biopsy specimens. Secondary objectives were to compare the histologic features of sarcoidosis with those of infectious granulomas and to assess the reliability of histology in establishing the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. ⋯ Numerous granulomas, Schaumann bodies, and a high clinical probability of sarcoidosis are significantly associated with that diagnosis. Necrosis does not exclude sarcoidosis. Clinicopathologic assessment of transbronchial biopsy specimens is useful in predicting the final diagnosis of sarcoidosis but does not obviate the need for microbiologic cultures, which were positive in 10.9% of patients in this study.