A specimen transport audit was performed at a routine and reference laboratory. Over the survey period (1986-89) the percentage of specimens received and assessed as hazardous (inadequately packed, misidentified, or contaminated by leakage) fell significantly from 12.0 to 2.8%. Specimen transport audit identified technical and logistical faults associated with sample transmission. It is conclud...

he increasing trend toward ambulatory care, home healthcare, nursing home care, and other alternate sites, has created variations in laboratory services and increased probability of medical errors. As an example, in order to increase laboratory volume, laboratory administrators have had to redirect blood collection services to outlying home and clinic settings via contracts with various physici...

HYPOTHESIS Specimen mammography is not beneficial in the management or outcome of patients undergoing image-guided needle-localized breast biopsies. DESIGN A retrospective study of consecutive patients who underwent needle/dye-localized breast biopsies between January 1, 1993, and December 31, 1995. SETTING National Cancer Institute (Bethesda, Md)-designated comprehensive cancer center. P...

man, set. 32, an old soldier, who had suddenly dropped down dead. No history of previous illness could be obtained. The heart was very much enlarged as seen in situ at the post-mortem, the enlargement being chiefly confined to the base. On opening the heart it was seen that this enlargement was not due to hypertrophy, but to a tumour of the septum. This tumour on examination was found to be an ...

a prospective study during 1990-1995 was conducted to assess the risk of rejection and infection in kidney-transplant recipients, who's original kidney had vesico-ureteral reflux (ver). two groups of recipients with and without ver were followed for one month after transplant 24 and 250 cases respectively. the calculated relative risks for the effect of ver showed a moderate increased risk...