Blogs

The Essence: The Best of November 2022

By Anne-Margaret Olsson posted 12-08-2022
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The Artery is your community for finding solutions to your day-to-day clinical chemistry questions. Last month, several answers were found to questions ranging from "What are some of your experiences with considering dilutions?" to “Can vitamins affect cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)?".  Read on for the most discussed on the Artery in November. Dilutions - To Infinity and Beyond? @Joe Wiencek, PhD, DABCC, NRCC, FAACC Diluting patient samples is a common practice within the field of laboratory medicine, but laboratorians seem to have different approaches to dilutions. What are some of your experiences with considering dilutions? Concentrating on Vitamins ...
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The Essence: The Best of October 2022

By Anne-Margaret Olsson posted 11-15-2022
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The Artery is your community for finding solutions to your day-to-day clinical chemistry questions. Last month, several answers were found to questions ranging from "Does your lab use reference ranges provided by the vendor?" to “How does your lab properly calculate eGFR with the MDRD equation?".  Read on for the most discussed on the Artery in October. Reference Ranges – Which Ones Do You Use? @Adil Khan, PhD. Does your lab use reference ranges provided by the vendor or do you use ranges that are from reference textbooks? Vendor ranges do not always specify by age while textbook ranges specify by age and gender. Which method does your lab use? hCG ...
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The Essence: The Best of September 2022

By Anne-Margaret Olsson posted 10-13-2022
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The Artery is your community for finding solutions to your day-to-day clinical chemistry questions. Last month, several answers were found to questions ranging from "Is an amylase assay necessary if a lab already has a lipase assay?" to “How does your lab handle cystatin C utilization?".  Read on for the most discussed on the Artery in September. Amylase, Lipase, or Both? @Thanaa Refai Arterians gave a new AACC member a warm welcome with valuable answers to her first question on the Open Forum. Is an amylase assay necessary if a lab already has a lipase assay? Say hello to our new member and offer your advice surrounding this question. Utilizing Cystatin ...
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The Essence: The Best of August 2022

By Anne-Margaret Olsson posted 09-08-2022
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The Artery is your community for finding solutions to your day-to-day clinical chemistry questions. Last month, several answers were found to questions ranging from "Does deliberate polydipsia causing hyponatremia in an attempt to dilute a urine drug test qualify as a preanalytical variable? " to “Does your lab reject hemolyzed samples for serum osmolality?".  Read on for the most discussed on the Artery in August. Water Consumption Prior to a Urine Drug Test by @David Alter, MD DABCC Does deliberate polydipsia causing hyponatremia in an attempt to dilute a urine drug test qualify as a preanalytical variable? A question posed by a pathology resident ...
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The Essence: The Best of June 2022

By Anne-Margaret Olsson posted 07-15-2022
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The Artery is your community for finding solutions to your day-to-day clinical chemistry questions. Last month, several answers were found to questions ranging from "What exactly is an LDT?" to “Do any labs correct for the patient’s body temperature on a blood gas analyzer?".  Read on for the most discussed on the Artery in June. What Exactly Is an LDT? @Elizabeth Champion-Lyons ASCP, MT (ASCP) With Congress considering legislation that could severely restrict the ability of labs to perform LDTs, lab professionals have noted a wide array of definitions for what an LDT is. Some define LDTs as “a type of in vitro diagnostic test that is designed, manufactured, ...
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The Essence: The Best of May 2022

By Anne-Margaret Olsson posted 06-09-2022
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The Artery is your community for finding solutions to your day-to-day clinical chemistry questions. Last month, several answers were found to questions ranging from "How are you classified in your institution?" to “What is your go-to literature resource for lab medicine?".  Read on for the most discussed on the Artery in May. How Are You Classified by Your Institution? @Amy Pyle-Eilola, PhD, DABCC, FAACC From “clinical staff” to “scientists,” AACC’s Arterians have been classified in many different ways. How are you classified and how does it differ from others in your workplace? Join the discussion to see all the ways institutions refer to lab medicine ...
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The Essence: The Best of April 2022

By Anne-Margaret Olsson posted 05-19-2022
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The Artery is your community for finding solutions to your day-to-day clinical chemistry questions. Last month, several answers were found to questions ranging from "Can you solve the data joining challenge?" to “Has your laboratory run into issues with unit notations from the laboratory information system (LIS)?".  Read on for the most discussed on the Artery in April. Can You Solve the Data Joining Challenge? @Daniel Holmes, MD Put your data analytics skills to the test with an all new data science challenge. This friendly game began in February of 2022 and includes a weekly challenge for members to solve. Do you think you have what it takes to solve ...
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The Essence: The Best of February 2022

By Anne-Margaret Olsson posted 03-11-2022
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The Artery is your community for finding solutions to your day-to-day clinical chemistry questions. Last month, several answers were found to questions ranging from "What protocol does your laboratory use (to share critical test results)?" to “What should a lab director do when a client requests Ct values for COVID-19 testing?". Read on for the most discussed on the Artery in February. Calling All Laboratorians @Rita Khoury, MD, DABCC, FAACC, CPP For decades now, critical test result information has been delivered via phone calls to patient care teams. As technology advancements allow for new methods of communication, labs are making the switch to online ...
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The Essence: The Best of January 2022

By Anne-Margaret Olsson posted 03-11-2022
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The Artery is your community for finding solutions to your day-to-day clinical chemistry questions. Last month, several answers were found to questions ranging from "Do you know the differences for each color tube?" to “How do you tackle grammatical errors in manuscripts?". Read on for the most discussed on the Artery in January. What Does That Color Mean? by @David Alter, MD DABCC Have you ever questioned the difference in serum separator tubes based on the color of the top? If you have, you’re not the only one. With various colors and patterns, it’s important to understand what each tube’s purpose is. Do you know the differences for each color tube? ...
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The Essence: The Best of December 2021

By Anne-Margaret Olsson posted 01-13-2022
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The Artery is your community for finding solutions to your day-to-day clinical chemistry questions. Last month, several answers were found to questions ranging from "Does your laboratory measure free prostate specific antigen (PSA)?" to “What is your best strategy for planning a project timeline?". Read on for the most discussed on the Artery in December. What to Note About Free PSA @David Alter, MD DABCC Does your laboratory measure free prostate specific antigen (PSA)? Read and participate in this in-depth discussion that highlights many significant aspects of ordering, performing, and assessing free PSA tests in labs.   Implementing ...
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The Essence: The Best of November 2021

By Anne-Margaret Olsson posted 12-09-2021
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The Artery is your community for finding solutions to your day-to-day clinical chemistry questions. Last month, several answers were found to questions ranging from "Has your institution seen a decline in prenatal screening? " to “Is it acceptable to dilute a quality control sample if it falls over the analytical measurement range?". Read on for the most discussed on the Artery in November. Screening Test Decline – What Now? One laboratory’s volume of prenatal screening has significantly declined within the past 2 years. With concern over maintaining medians, new approaches must be considered for screening tests. Has your institution seen this same ...
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The Essence: The Best of October 2021

By Anne-Margaret Olsson posted 11-11-2021
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The Artery is your community for finding solutions to your day-to-day clinical chemistry questions. Last month, several answers were found to questions ranging from "Do you have any helpful tips for using osmometers?" to “What do to when a patient has low HbA1c?” Read on for the most discussed on the Artery in October. Useful Tips for Implementing New Instruments Implementing new instruments in the lab can be tricky when laboratorians aren’t familiar with the new technology. Specifically, for osmometers, there are procedures that need to be done properly in order to receive consistent test results. Do you have any helpful tips for use of this instrument? ...
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The Essence: The Best of September 2021

By Anne-Margaret Olsson posted 10-14-2021
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The Artery is your community for finding solutions to your day-to-day clinical chemistry questions. Last month, several answers were found to questions ranging from "Which COVID-19 test provides the most accurate results?" to “With polyethylene glycol (PEG) being used in the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, what do we know about how it is broken down within a patient’s body?” Read on for the most discussed on the Artery in September. PCR vs. Antigen Testing for COVID-19 One of the more common concerns surrounding testing for COVID-19 is the type of test needed for the most accurate results. In response to a question about PCR and antigen tests, Arterians weigh ...
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The Essence: The Best of August 2021

By Anne-Margaret Olsson posted 09-09-2021
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The Artery is your community for finding solutions to your day-to-day clinical chemistry questions. Last month, several answers were found to questions ranging from "What are some of the unwritten duties of being a medical director?" to “Can a denosumab treatment cause interferences with serum protein electrophoresis?”. Read on for the most discussed on the Artery in August. Not Just a Laboratory Medical Director Calling all laboratory medical directors – What are some of the unwritten duties of your role? In addition to the traditional job responsibilities, there are many tasks that lab medical directors acquire when working in a hospital setting that ...
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The Essence: The Best of July 2021

By Anne-Margaret Olsson posted 09-09-2021
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The Artery is your community for finding solutions to your day-to-day clinical chemistry questions. In July, several answers were found to questions ranging from "Hemolysis or not?" to “Should medical education be incorporated into patient portals?”. Read on for the most discussed on the Artery in July. Hemolysis or Not? Hemolysis in patient specimens has a history of being a challenging topic between laboratories and emergency department staff. Arterians discuss their opinions on why it has become problematic and the best solution to solve this issue. What is your approach to this issue?   Guidance on Reference Intervals When reference intervals ...
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The Essence: The Best of June 2021

By Anne-Margaret Olsson posted 07-08-2021
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The Artery is your community for finding solutions to your day-to-day clinical chemistry questions. Last month, several answers were found to questions ranging from "Where do you stand on the laboratory harmonization debate?" to “How do labs complete proficiency testing (PT) for sO2?”. Read on for the most discussed on the Artery in June. Harmonization Across the Globe “Laboratory harmonization is not just a need but a necessity in the pandemic era,” according to Arterarians. Many believe the U.S. is overdue not only to harmonize more assays, but convert to using a metrological measurement and reporting system of SI units like other countries. Where ...
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The Essence: The Best of April 2021

By Anne-Margaret Olsson posted 06-03-2021
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The Artery is your community for finding solutions to your day-to-day clinical chemistry questions. In April, several answers were found to questions ranging from "Have patients developed antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 after being vaccinated?" to “Does a sickle cell trait have an effect on total glycated hemoglobin test results?”. Read on for the most discussed on the Artery in April. Testing after SARS-CoV-2 Vaccinations With vaccinations underway, patients are curious to know if they have developed antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 after being vaccinated. The question posted on the Artery sparked conversation about what kind of testing should be done on vaccinated ...
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The Essence: The Best of February 2021

By Anne-Margaret Olsson posted 03-09-2021
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The Artery is your community for finding solutions to your day-to-day clinical chemistry questions. Last month, several answers were found to questions ranging from "Have You Adjusted Your Lab’s Reference Intervals to Accommodate a New Instrument?" to “How Much Can Labs Reduce Inpatient Non-Sendout Ordering?”. Read on for our editor’s picks of the best discussions on the Artery in February. Have You Adjusted Your Lab’s Reference Intervals to Accommodate a New Instrument? Initiated by @Matthew Wasco, MD Switching to new instruments can cause laboratorians to consider adjusting their reference intervals to accept ranges suggested by the manufacturers. But ...
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The Essence: The Best of December 2020

By Anne-Margaret Olsson posted 01-07-2021
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The Artery is your community for finding solutions to your day-to-day clinical chemistry questions. Last month, several answers were found to questions ranging from "Will FDA or CDC be releasing guidance on how lab professionals can assess immune status in people who receive the COVID-19 vaccine?" to “eGFR Calculations and DEI?”. Read on for our editor’s picks of the best discussions on the Artery in December. Assessing Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccinations Initiated by @Jack Maggiore, PhD, MT(ASCP), DABCC, FAACC Will FDA or CDC be releasing guidance on how lab professionals can assess immune status in people who receive the COVID-19 vaccine? Respondents ...
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The Essence: The Best of November 2020

By Anne-Margaret Olsson posted 12-09-2020
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The Artery is your community for finding solutions to your day-to-day clinical chemistry questions. Last month, several answers were found to questions ranging from "Does Your Lab Receive an Overwhelming Number of Calls from Nurses?" to “Should Vaccination of People with Persistent SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies be Temporarily Deferred?”. Read on for our editor’s picks of the best discussions on the Artery in November. Increased Phone Calls Initiated by @Shelley D’Attilio, MT (ASCP)   One lab is being crushed by telephone calls from nursing staff looking for the status of SARS-CoV-2 tests and is wondering if other labs have the same problem and what they’ve ...
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