The Quick Guide to Clinical Chemistry, Second
Edition, is a pocket-sized reference intended for physicians, nurses,
physician assistants, nurse practitioners, medical technologists, pharmacists,
and residents and students in those professions. This Guide focuses on
the selection and use of chemistry laboratory tests for diagnosing and managing
emergent conditions such as poisonings, acute abdominal pain, sepsis, and acute
myocardial infarction.
The Guide's small size allows it to be used in situations when quick
decisions must be made regarding the ordering and interpretation of chemistry
tests. The emergent clinical conditions and the associated laboratory tests are
described together for quick reference.
Although this Guide reviews several clinical conditions, it is not
intended to be a comprehensive guide to all clinical laboratory tests, nor is it
intended to dictate what constitutes reasonable, appropriate, or best care in a
given situation. Comprehensive references for such information currently exist.
Instead, it should be seen as it is clearly named, a "Quick Guide" to
clinical chemistry.