Lupus anticoagulant and valvular cardiac surgery.

Despite its name, lupus anticoagulant (LAC) neither exclusively occurs in lupus nor induces anticoagulation. It is an antiphospholipid antibody found in 2%-4% of the population that promotes clot formation by targeting phospholipid-protein complexes in cell membranes. However, in vitro, LAC exhibits paradoxical effects, prolonging clotting times in phospholipid-dependent assays such as Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (APTT).

Application of the WHO surgical safety checklist outside the operating theatre: medicine can learn from surgery.

Safety checklists in medicine are designed to identify a potential error before it results in harm to a patient. The World Health Organization (WHO) safety checklist was widely implemented in surgical practice in the UK after significant reductions in death, and peri-operative complications were achieved in eight countries worldwide in the 'Safe Surgery Saves Lives' campaign of 2008. Nevertheless, use of the checklist for invasive medical procedures is not yet routine.