Evaluation of BD Barricor™ Plasma Blood Collection Tube for Biochemical Tests.

BACKGROUND: Blood from patients who are receiving anticoagulant therapy may take longer to clot. Anticoagulation is an important component of the dialysis prescription. We compared BD Vacutainer® Barricor™ Plasma Blood Collection Tubes (BD BarrricorTM), BD Vacutainer® PST™ Lithium Heparin Tubes (BD PST™), and BD (Becton-Dickinson, Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA) Vacutainer Serum Separator Tubes (BD SST), as reference tube in dialysis patients to examine whether they had an effect on routine biochemical tests. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 29 chronic hemodialysis patients were included in this study. Samples were collected into BD BarrricorTM, BD PST™, and BD SST tubes after the dialysis. All the tubes were centrifuged by NF 1200R rotor (1,300 g for 10 minutes at 22°C, 1,200 g for 10 minutes at 4°C, 2,400 g for 10 minutes at 22°C, respectively) after the incubation period. Eleven routine clinical chemistry parameters (Creatinine, Urea, Na, K, Cl, AST, ALT, Total Bilirubin, Direct Bilirubin, Calcium, Cholesterol) were analyzed on a Beckman Coulter AU 5800. RESULTS: Results of creatinine, K and cholesterol were statistically significantly different between the SST and LiH (p = 0.014, p = 0.009, and p < 0.001, respectively). In terms of other biochemical parameters we tested for all three tubes there was no clinically significance inspite of the statistically significance. CONCLUSIONS: BD Barricor™ tubes provide fast, clean, high-quality plasma samples, safe results, and may lower times and costs.

Real-time ultrasound guided placement of temporary internal jugular vein catheters: assessment of technical success and complication rates in nephrology practice.

AIM: Internal jugular vein (IJV) catheterization is often required to gain access for haemodialysis. Use of ultrasound guidance has reduced the complication rates of this procedure. We hypothesized that nephrologists may perform IJV cannulation with a high technical success and low immediate complication rates under real-time ultrasound guidance. METHODS: We prospectively analyzed 323 patients (186 male, 137 female) who underwent IJV cannulation with real-time ultrasound guidance. The number of needle punctures, technical success, the time between injection of local anaesthetic and entry into the IJV, and immediate complications were recorded. Patients with a history of multiple catheter insertions, previous difficulties during catheterization, poor compliance, obesity, impaired consciousness, skeletal deformity, disorder of haemostasis were regarded as high-risk group. RESULTS: Cannulation of IJV was achieved in all patients. Of the 323 catheters, 125 (38.7%) were placed in high-risk patients. Average number of puncture was 1.26 (range, 1-4). IJV was entered on the first attempt in 261 (80.8%) patients. Only ten complications (10/323, 3.2%) developed; five (2.5%) in the normal-risk group, and five (4.0%) in the high-risk group. Cannulation of IJV took a longer time in the high-risk group than in the normal-risk group. The number of needle punctures, percent of successful cannulation on the first attempt, and the frequency of complications were similar between the high- and normal-risk groups. CONCLUSIONS: Cannulation of IJV under real-time ultrasound guidance is very safe with high technical success rates. Nephrologists can use this technique with ease and with minimal complications in normal- and high-risk patients.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis is a frequent occurrence in patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Rheumatic mitral stenosis (RMS), an autoimmune sequel of streptococcal infection, causes significant morbidity and mortality. As Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is recognized as the major form of chronic autoimmune thyroiditis, it was hypothesized that the coexistence of HT and RMS might have an autoimmune origin. The study aim was to examine this possible relationship. METHODS: A total of 55 consecutive patients with RMS was examined and compared to 54 healthy controls with normal echocardiographic findings. All subjects underwent transthoracic echocardiography and thyroid ultrasonography after a complete medical history and laboratory examination. RESULTS: The demographic data of the RMS group (38 females, 17 males; mean age 39.9 +/- 9.3 years) and control group (39 females, 15 males; mean age 39.6 +/- 10.5 years) were similar. HT was found to occur significantly more frequently in RMS patients (n = 16; 29%) than in controls (n = 6; 11%) (p = 0.019) CONCLUSION: The higher frequency of HT in patients with RMS than controls may have genetic associations. Hence, further genetic-based studies should be conducted to provide a better understanding of this suggested relationship.