We would do them, simply because it's not difficult given the way the lab is
set up. Once you have done them, what do they mean and what is a casualty
consultant going to do with them anyway? Come to that, how high is
hypothyroidism on your list of causes of hypothermia in a 23 year old?
There's also the issue of what tests you would include in your urgent TFT
profile - a straight TSH?? How about pituitary failure as a cause of
hypothermia?
Robert Forrest
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [log in to unmask]
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
> [log in to unmask]
> Sent: 21 June 1999 11:01
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Hypothermia, are TFT's urgent?
>
>
> An unconscious hypothermic (core temp 31'C) 28y old women
> was recently
> admitted through casualty at 6.0 PM on a Saturday evening.
>
> Urgent investigations were requested (U&E, Glucose, Amylase, CK, LFT
> Salicylate & paracetamol & thyroid function tests).
>
> The casualty consultant insisted that the TFT's were done urgently
> that evening, as myxoedema could not be excluded as a contributing
> cause to her hypothermia. Was the urgency of this request
> reasonable,
> or could the TFT's have been left until Sunday morning or
> even Monday?
>
> I would be interested to know how other laboratories would approach
> this scenario. We did the TFT's that evening.
>
> John Tovey
> Nevill Hall Hospital
> Abergavenny
> email: [log in to unmask]
>
>
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