Spurious hypophosphataemia
The Hypophosphataemia page has been updated with analytical causes of hypophosphataemia.
Clinical skills
ROTEM guided transfusion
The Coagulation testing page has been updated with revised information about ROTEM guided transfusion.
Calcium doses in hyperkalaemia
The Hyperkalaemia page has been updated with additional information about the use of calcium.
Placebo and nocebo effects
The Communication page has been updated with a new segment on placebo and nocebo effects. These effects have a significant impact on what we do, so I suggest you read this section soon.
Intravenous contrast and dialysis
The Intravenous contrast page has been updated with additional information about IV contrast and patients on dialysis.
Reference change values
Information about the significant reference change values for a variety of analytes has been added to the Interpretation of investigation results page.
Biological variation
A new segment on biological variation has been added to the Interpretation of investigation results page.
Barriers to communication
The Communication page has been updated, including additional information about barriers to communication.
Medical terms that most people understand
A new page called Medical terms that most people understand has been created. It is a list of alternatives to common medical terms that can be used when speaking to patients to aid communication. It is my experience that many good clinicians let themselves down by not realising how much medical jargon they use when … Read more
Limitations of albumin corrected calcium
The Calcium page has been updated with additional information about the limitations of albumin corrected calcium and the importance of ionised calcium to direct therapy.
Analysis of serum vs plasma
The Specimen collection page has been updated with additional information about the differences between analysis of plasma and serum.
Haemolysis of samples
The Interpretation of investigation results page has been updated with additional information about sample haemolysis, particularly when sample tubes are under filled.
Patiromer
The Hyperkalaemia page has been updated to include some additional information about Patiromer – an ion exchange resin that recently became available in Australia.
Patient safety
The Patient safety page has been updated with improved conciseness and additional information about why comparisons between health care and aviation may be inappropriate.
Clinical decision making
The Clinical decision making page has had a number of minor updates of wording.
Chromogenic factor X levels
The Coagulation testing page has been updated with information about chromogenic factor X assays.
Limitations of POC INR measurement
The Coagulation testing page has been updated with additional information about the limitations of POC INR testing.
Lactate and alkalosis
The Metabolic acidosis page has been updated to better emphasise that lactate can be elevated due to alkalosis alone.
ECG of severe hyperkalaemia
The Ion effects on the ECG page has been updated with an ECG of severe hyperkalaemia.
Potassium reference range
The Potassium page has been updated with the Australian reference range of 3.5-5.2 mmol/L.