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Diagnostics: The Role of the Laboratory

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Highly Infectious Diseases in Critical Care

Abstract

The significant role of the laboratory in infectious disease diagnosis calls for a closed loop working relationship between the physician and laboratory technician. The laboratory aims to generate useful information for the diagnosis, prognostication, and therapeutic monitoring of many human conditions. The laboratory and physician’s combined role holds an immense value for the healthcare system as a whole, especially in the critical care unit. This chapter focuses on the role the laboratory plays in critical care medicine. It will help allow physicians to focus on tests that are valuable and understand tests that add little or no value for diagnostic decisions. This chapter will focus on an organism-based approach as opposed to a system-based approach and includes laboratory testing for viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections. Each section will contain introductory concepts, a summary of key points, the most reliable tests to order, samples to collect in order of preference, specimen transport devices, procedures, temperatures, and detailed notes on specific issues regarding test methods. This chapter is designed to serve as a tool for physicians in choosing tests that will aid them in accurately and effectively diagnosing infectious diseases in critically ill patients.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Azka Afzal

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Holland Kaplan & Talha Qureshi

  3. Department of Infectious Diseases, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Holland Kaplan & Talha Qureshi

  4. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Tina Motazedi

  5. Section Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Laila Woc-Colburn

Authors
  1. Azka Afzal
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  2. Holland Kaplan
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  3. Tina Motazedi
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  4. Talha Qureshi
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  5. Laila Woc-Colburn
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Critical Care, Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, Belize City, Belize

    Jorge Hidalgo

  2. National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Laila Woc-Colburn

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Afzal, A., Kaplan, H., Motazedi, T., Qureshi, T., Woc-Colburn, L. (2020). Diagnostics: The Role of the Laboratory. In: Hidalgo, J., Woc-Colburn, L. (eds) Highly Infectious Diseases in Critical Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33803-9_4

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