Hafsa Sohail, Shazia Bibi, Mahnaz Hakeem, Anwar-ul Haque, Qalab Abbas.
Laboratory blood testing in pediatric intensive care unit of a university hospital: are we doing it appropriately?.
J Ayub Med Coll Abottabad Jan ;32(3):421-3.

Retrospective chart review of all children (aged-one month to 16yr) admitted in our pediatric intensive care from June to November 2016 was done to determine the indication of different laboratory tests. LBT indications were defined into: diagnostic/case findings/screening tests to make a diagnosis; haemostatic tests (to monitor function or identify before clinical signs and symptoms) and therapeutic /monitoring tests to get the level of drug directly or getting level of marker as a guide to therapy. Laboratory tests reports which were within normal range more than once were labelled as in-appropriate tests. In total 274 patients, Haemostatic tests were performed for mean of 35.18±56.72 times (range of 0–429), monitoring for mean of 9.38±20 times (range 0–165), and therapeutic tests (3.26±11.25). Most common tests included serum Sodium levels (7.83±12.73), Serum Potassium (8.19±12.80), bicarbonate (7.75±11.9). 13.40±9.11 tests were done on first day and 13.0±8.49/day tests were performed afterwards. Cumulatively 54.31±74.21 tests were performed/ patients out of which 18.5±37.82 were inappropriate.

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