Rehabilitation and functional outcomes in internally braced and standard ACL reconstructions.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare surgical outcomes in patients who underwent ACL reconstruction, with and without internal bracing, at 1-3, 4-7, and 8-12 months of postoperative physical therapy. Previous studies show that ACL reconstruction with internal bracing allows earlier and more aggressive rehabilitation. Therefore, it was hypothesized that patients with internal bracing would display superior surgical recovery compared to ACL reconstruction alone after adjusting for length of physical therapy.

Clinical Utility of Ordered Pathology Blood Smear Reviews - an Overused Resource?

Background: Blood smear reviews by pathologists (BSR) are ordered frequently at our institution, take time to evaluate, and result in a written report. Minimal research has been done regarding the amount of novel data reported and its clinical utility.

Methods: Detailed chart review was performed on BSR orders from January 1, 2015 to March 31, 2015 to assess reasons for smear review, if results were mentioned in the chart, if laboratory-driven reviews were already performed, and if novel, clinically influential data was reported.

Variation in Results Release and Patient Portal Access to Diagnostic Test Results at an Academic Medical Center.

Background: Electronic health records (EHRs) are commonplace in industrialized countries. Many hospitals are granting their patients access to their medical information through online patient portals. In this report, we describe a retrospective analysis of patient access to diagnostic test results released through the patient portal (MyChart; Epic, Inc.

Impact of Endogenous and Exogenous Interferences on Clinical Chemistry Parameters Measured on Blood Gas Analyzers.

Background: The prevalence of hemolysis, icterus, and lipemia (HIL) was determined for residual whole blood specimens analyzed for clinical chemistry parameters on blood gas analyzers. The frequency and potential impact of exogenous interference from iodide, salicylate, and thiocyanate (metabolite of sodium nitroprusside) on analysis of whole blood chloride was also assessed.

Methods: Over an approximately two month period at an academic medical center, indices for HIL were determined on Roche cobas c502 analyzers for 1,986 residual whole blood specimens that had been previously analyzed for clinical chemistry parameters on Radiometer ABL90 FLEX blood gas analyzers.

Prevalence and Clinical Utility of "Incidental" Critical Values Resulting From Critical Care Laboratory Testing.

Objective: Panels of clinical laboratory testing may generate "incidental" critical values from unordered parameters. Existing regulations do not clearly delineate guidelines for handling incidental critical values. The objective of this study was to examine the patterns and clinical utility of incidental critical values at 2 critical care laboratories within an academic medical center.