COVER STORIES

A Test for Imminent Heart Attack
How Close is the Science to Clinical Reality?
By Genna Rollins

Today, the most sensitive marker of acute myocardial infarction is cTn, which rises shortly after a heart attack and can be detected with cTn assays. By then, however, it may be too late. Provocative new research suggests that circulating endothelial cells could indicate that an acute myocardial infarction is about to transpire, but how soon this test might have applicability in clinical practice remains to be seen.

The Next Step for HIV Home Testing
FDA Panel Backs Rapid Over-the-Counter Test Kit
By Bill Malone

An FDA panel has endorsed the first, rapid, home HIV test, despite the fact that trials showed the test to be less sensitive among lay users. However, it may be a good move, because an FDA risk analysis predicted that in the first year the test is on the market, it will pick up some 45,000 new HIV diagnoses would otherwise go undetected.

SERIES ARTICLE

Sepsis
New Approaches to Diagnosis and Treatment
By James Faix, MD

Though it has been recognized since ancient times, researchers recently have learned a great deal about sepsis. This article reviews the current definition of sepsis and its diagnosis and treatment, with particular emphasis on the laboratory's role in recognizing patients with the condition.

NEWS BRIEF

Slower Growth Projected for Clinical Lab Service Market

INSIDE

2012 AACC Annual Meeting
New Products Review

This special advertising section contains new products that will make their debut at the 2012 Clinical Lab Expo in Los Angeles, Calif.

PATIENT SAFETY FOCUS

Aligning Missions for Patient Safety
How Labs Can Breakdown Silos and Eliminate Competing Missions
By Corinne Fantz, PhD

In this interview, Angela M. Caliendo, MD, a professor of pathology at Emory University, gives useful advice on how laboratory managers can work through competing priorities and improve patient safety.

Reducing Diagnostic Errors by Focusing on Test Ordering Practices
A Quality Improvement Effort that Enhances the Value and Reputation of the Lab
By Paul Epner, MBA, MEd, and Michael Astion, MD, PhD

By shifting some of the focus away from lab quality improvement efforts to helping physicians order the right tests and interpret them correctly, laboratorians can not only improve patient safety but also raise the lab's visibility.

How Reconsidering Professional Roles Can Improve Quality
By Brian Jackson, MD, MS

Thinking outside the box about professional roles in healthcare can bring greater job satisfaction and increase collaboration, as well as improve patient care.

Patient Safety Issues in the Age of Robots and Informatics
What's at the Heart of Today's Error Rates in Labs?
By Michael Astion, MD, PhD

Frustrated by your lab's error rates? Cut them with the top 10 tips that other labs have used.

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