80% of all calcium is bound to albumin in circulation. However, the biologically active form of calcium is the free, or ionized form, which is occasionally ordered as a separate test. Typically, a total serum calcium level should be…
Potassium is the major INTRACELLULAR cation in the body. Remember that sodium is primarily outside of the cell. Well, potassium finds its home at higher concentrations within cells throughout the body. Along with sodium, it regulates intracellular volume, plays…
Sodium is the primary extracellular cation in the body. It regulates osmotic forces, it is involved in membrane transport systems, it helps regulate many chemical reactions as well as aid in acid-base balance. The picture shown here is of…
The management of the hypoxic COVID-19 patient has drastically shifted in recent weeks. Earlier expert recommendations pushed for early intubation of these patients in an attempt to minimize the risk to staff that is thought to happen with less…
Understanding the high-sensitivity Troponin can be confusing. The literature, for the most part, was done outside of the United States using assays that are not approved by the FDA at this time. The first barrier to understanding the hs-cTn…