Dementia labs + imaging

[Anasazi23]

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What is the protocol that you order for dementia workups at your hospital? I'm interested in the comparison among various institutions.

Ours is the following:

CBC
BMP, electrolytes + glucose
LFTs
RPR
B12/Folate
PO4
Mg2+
TFTs

CT head w/o contrast
CXR

Does anyone routinely do LPs or other treponemal tests?

 

[Milo]

We do a heavy metal screen (yes, it's shotgunesque, but hey, maybe the pt. had a bag of 40 year old paint chips around and got the munchies)

I can't imagine anybody experiencing tertiary syphilis at the facility where I work. On the medical floors it's like a perpetual fog of penicillins floating around. Couple of deep breaths and you're cured.

 

[john182]

Does anyone routinely do LPs or other treponemal tests?

We do routine Treponema screens here. It's dirt cheap and would be stupid to miss it as contraception wasn't exactly de rigeur 30-40 years ago!

...then again it's Ireland so contraception wasn't exactly de rigeur 10 years ago either!

We also do ESR routinely.