Acute care testing. Blood gases and electrolytes at the point of care

The standard turnaround time for acute care laboratory testing in tertiary care institutions is typically less than 15 minutes for blood gas or electrolyte values. From a clinical perspective, however, the desirable turnaround time is more on the order of 5 minutes, and this is technically achievable. The 15-minute standard can be met with strategically located STAT laboratories. To achieve a turnaround time of 5 minutes, it is necessary to move the "laboratory" closer to the patient and to have more than one instrument available. This latter configuration is called near or bedside patient testing. Why the 5-minute standard is not used universally throughout the nation is probably related to differing perspectives on "cost" and "quality." As manufacturers, hospitals and laboratories address the issue of rapid turnaround time in acute care settings, the 5-minute standard may become more widespread. Direct costs have been decreasing as more manufacturers enter the market for acute care testing. The overall quality is also improving, not only in the engineering features built into the instruments, but also as nonlaboratory staff gain skill in performing the testing. As more sites implement POCT, standards and guidelines for managing testing outside of the laboratory are being established. Solutions to preanalytic problems are being developed and implemented. POCT testing for blood gases and electrolytes was once considered to lie in the future but is now commonplace and may one day become the standard of care.