The use of laboratory intervention to stem the flow of fresh-frozen plasma.

Four methods of laboratory intervention were tested by the hospital blood bank in an effort to modify the use of fresh-frozen plasma (FFP). Over a one-year period, a utilization audit was serially initiated with feedback to physicians, a recurrent educational program was introduced for housestaff delineating guidelines for FFP use, a form was introduced requiring justification for FFP orders, and a policy was established requiring pathologist approval of FFP in patients with normal or no coagulation studies. Overall, in comparing the period following all forms of intervention (February 1986-October 1986) to the baseline period prior to any form of intervention (July 1984-March 1985), FFP use dropped 52% in the face of a 17% increase in red blood cell use. It was concluded that blood bankers can dramatically alter the use of this product using established methods for modifying physician ordering behavior.

The clinical significance of dipstick-negative, culture-positive urines in a veterans population.

The consequences of omitting cultures in dipstick-negative urines submitted to the authors' microbiology laboratory were evaluated retrospectively in 1,079 clean-catch midstream samples. Using positive dipstick readings for leukocyte esterase, nitrite, and/or protein as evidence of a positive screen, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for specimens containing more than or 10(3) CFUs/mL (10(6)/L) were 80%, 71%, 48%, and 91%, respectively. Clinical data were reviewed in 38 patients with one or more dipstick-negative, culture-positive urines. Most of these patients lacked clinical or other laboratory evidence suggesting urinary tract infection. Problems with specimen collection were suspected in 19 neurologically compromised patients. Only two patients with dipstick-negative urines received treatment based on the culture reports. Symptoms persisted in both. The authors conclude that in their predominantly male veteran population, clinically significant bacteriuria is an unlikely finding in a dipstick-negative urine.