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PubMed1986

Predictive value of skin prick tests and radioallergosorbent tests for clinical allergy to dogs and cats.

The predictive value and post-test probability of disease were compared for skin prick tests and radioallergosorbent tests (RASTs) in 168 children suspected of clinical allergy to dogs and cats. The skin tests included negative and positive (histamine) controls. The results of RASTs with the same allergen extracts were expressed in relation to the results with allergen-specific pooled reference serum. All the tests were performed blind. The predictive values of positive test results were comparable and low (53% to 76%), whereas the predictive values of negative test results were comparable and high (88% to 95%). The post-test probability of clinical allergy to dog or cat allergen, based on the prevalence rates in the referral population (15.1% and 22.5% respectively), increased to between 46% and 67% for positive test results and decreased to between 4% and 8% for negative results, which suggests that the primary role of skin prick tests and RASTs is in eliminating the diagnosis of clinical allergy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Tomorrow's prenatal genetic testing. Should we test for 'minor' diseases?

New genetic knowledge will make it possible to test prenatally for a wide range of fetal genetic characteristics. One consequence will be an expansion of potential reasons for selective abortion following prenatal testing. It will likely become possible for patients to request prenatal testing and abortion not only for serious diseases but also relatively mild diseases, late-onset diseases, treatable diseases, elevated risks for common diseases, and eventually nondisease characteristics, such as height and body build. Two main ethical views concerning prenatal testing have been advocated: (1) Prenatal testing should be restricted to the "most severe" disorders, involving profound retardation, severe physical handicaps, or prolonged physical suffering and (2) Patients' requests for prenatal tests should be honored except for diseases considered to be "too minor." At least two additional views can be identified: (3) Physicians should honor requests for prenatal testing for diseases, including relatively minor ones, but not requests pertaining to nondisease characteristics and (4) All requests for prenatal tests should be honored. A difficulty with the first and second views is that they deviate from the norm of nondirectiveness in prenatal testing and counseling. The problems with the fourth view are that it leads to abortions for morally trivial reasons and that attempts to design our children could adversely affect parent-child relationships and exacerbate current social inequities. These considerations support the third view, which holds that the future role of reproductive genetic testing and counseling should be based on the imperfect, but helpful, distinction between disease and nondisease.

Ethics, Medical↗
PubMed2002

Using antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody testing to diagnose vasculitis: can test-ordering guidelines improve diagnostic accuracy?

BACKGROUND: Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs) are strongly associated with Wegener granulomatosis, Churg-Strauss angiitis, microscopic polyangiitis, and pauci-immune glomerulonephritis, referred to collectively as ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAVs). It is unclear how accurate ANCA measurement is for diagnosing AAV in diverse populations or whether proposed ANCA test-ordering guidelines improve test performance. METHODS: We assembled a retrospective case series of hospitalized and ambulatory patients from 2 academic medical centers to assess the diagnostic accuracy of ANCA measurement by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in identifying cases of AAV. In addition, we assessed the effect of applying proposed ANCA test-ordering guidelines on test performance. RESULTS: For ANCA testing, sensitivity was 81%; specificity, 98%; positive predictive value, 54%; and negative predictive value, 99%. There were no significant changes in operating characteristics after applying the guideline criteria. Using guidelines would have decreased ANCA test ordering by 23% and would have decreased the false-positive rate by 27%. No cases of AAV would have been missed if only patients fulfilling the guidelines were ANCA tested. CONCLUSION: A positive result on an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ANCA test, as it is currently ordered, is not a definitive diagnostic indicator of AAV. Compliance with guidelines for ANCA testing would decrease the number of false-positive results and has the potential to reduce total test expenditures.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

The case against anergy testing as a routine adjunct to tuberculin skin testing.

Although anergy testing is commonly used to help interpret negative tuberculin skin test results, the validity of this approach has not been demonstrated. Specific issues include lack of a standardized protocol for antigen selection, number needed to reliably evaluate inability to respond, and uniform criteria for defining cutaneous reactivity, as well as regional variation in skin test reactivity. Tuberculin skin testing is used to screen for latent infection and to evaluate the need for isoniazid prophylaxis. The presence or absence of reactivity to control antigens does not affect this decision. The results of anergy testing also do not predict the risk for progression to active disease in either HIV-negative or HIV-positive patients. In HIV-negative patients with active tuberculosis, 10% to 20% have negative tuberculin test results, and 5% to 10% have a negative tuberculin result but have a positive reaction to another antigen. A negative tuberculin skin test result does not exclude either latent infection or active disease, even in the presence of a reaction to other antigens. Neither anergy testing nor tuberculin testing obviates the need for microbiologic evaluation when there is suspicion for active tuberculosis infection. Therefore, anergy testing is not useful in screening for asymptomatic tuberculous infection or for diagnosing active tuberculosis.

Antigens, Bacterial↗
PubMed1999

Clinical features and survivial of cirrhotic patients with subclinical cognitive alterations detected by the number connection test and computerized psychometric tests.

The prevalence and the clinical implications of subclinical cognitive alterations in cirrhotic patients have not been well defined as yet. Therefore, we performed a study to assess the clinical features and the survival of cirrhotic patients with cognitive alterations detected by the number connection test (NCT) and a set of computerized psychometric tests (Scan, Choice1, and Choice2) measuring the reaction times and the percentage of errors in performing specific tasks. Ninety-four cirrhotic patients (aged 58 +/- 9 years) without overt hepatic encephalopathy and 80 controls (aged 53 +/- 15 years) were consecutively enrolled. The median follow-up in cirrhotic patients was 426 days (lower quartile = 213 days; upper quartile = 718 days). Results of the NCT, Scan test, and Choice2 test were significantly worse in cirrhotic patients, whereas Choice1 did not differ significantly from the controls. In cirrhotic patients, the prevalence of altered psychometric tests was 21% (CI95% = 14%-31%) by NCT, 23% (CI95% =15%-33%) by Scan test, and 20% (CI95% =16%-30%) by Choice2 test. The alterations of NCT, Scan, and Choice2 were found to be related to the severity of liver disease, independently of its etiology. Increased risk of death was found to be associated with altered Scan test (hazard ratio = 2.4; CI95% =1. 1-5.3), or altered Choice2 test (hazard ratio = 2.8; CI95% = 1.2-6. 3). Multivariate regression showed that Scan and Choice2 tests had prognostic value on survival, in addition to Child-Pugh classes in the first year of follow-up.

Cognition↗
PubMed1995

The toxicity of substituted phenols in the nitrification inhibition test and luminescent bacteria test.

The nitrification inhibition test and the luminescent bacteria test were used to determine the inhibiting effect of different phenolic compounds. The chlorinated phenols demonstrated an increased toxicity in the nitrification inhibition test, which was much more sensitive to these compounds than other bacterial toxicity tests. In practice, the nitrification inhibition test was very useful for estimating the toxicity of chemical compounds to nitrifying bacteria, but the test is not recommended for the assessment of general bacterial toxicity. In comparison to other bacterial toxicity tests, the luminescent bacteria test also proved to be very sensitive. Due to its character, which measures a certain physiological parameter, this test system could be used as a screening tool for possible inhibitory effects to bacteria, although positive results should be confirmed by other bacterial toxicity tests.

Ammonium Sulfate↗
PubMed2003

[Non-invasive urine tests in diagnosis and as prognostic markers for urinary bladder carcinoma. Comparison of the BTAstat and NMP 22 tests with immunocytology using monoclonal antibodies against Lewis X and 486p3/12].

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The non-invasive detection of urothelial carcinoma remains challenging. The aim of this study was the prospective evaluation of urine markers for bladder carcinoma. We compared the NMP 22 and BTAstat tests with immunocytology (IC) using monoclonal antibodies against the Lewis X antigen and against 486p3/12. METHODS: NMP 22 and BTAstat were performed on urine samples, and IC with 486p3/12 and Lewis X staining was performed on urine samples as well as bladder wash specimens ( n=146) in patients ( n=115) undergoing transurethral resection on suspicion of bladder cancer (70 specimens) or follow up cystoscopy because of a history of bladder cancer (76 specimens). Bladder cancer was detected in 54 patients (pTa: n=25, pT1: n=20, pT2: n=8, CiS: n=1). Cut-off levels were 10 U/ml for the NMP 22, 30% positive cells for 486p3/12, and 5% positive cells for the Lewis X test. RESULTS: The BTAstat test was positive in 65 (44.5%) cases, the NMP 22 in 69 (47.3%) cases, IC with 486p3/12 and the Lewis X was positive in 52 (35.6%) and 109 (74.7%) cases, respectively. Sensitivity was 70.3% (BTAstat), 68.5% (NMP 22), 94.4% (Lewis X), and 68.5% (486p3/12), respectively. The specificity was 70.6% (BTAstat), 65.2% (NMP 22), 36.9% (Lewis X), and 83.6% (486p3/12), respectively. Among the patients with a false positive test 2/22 (9.0%) patients (BTAstat), 2/25 (8%) patients (NMP 22 test), 4/43 (9.3%) patients (Lewis X), and 3/11 (27%) patients (486p3/12), respectively, suffered from tumor recurrence. In contrast, among the patients with a correct negative test 2/39 (2.0%) (BTAstat), 2/36 (0.5%) (NMP 22), 0/18 (0%) (Lewis X), and 1/50 (2.0%) (486p3/12), respectively, suffered from tumor recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: IC with the Lewis X revealed a higher sensitivity than all of the tested, commercially available methods. Because of its high sensitivity and its high negative predictive value, the Lewis X test may be useful for screening a high-risk population. Patients with a false positive 486p3/12 test have an increased risk of tumor recurrence when compared with patients with a correct negative test.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1993

Justification of the enucleated eye test with eyes of slaughterhouse animals as an alternative to the Draize eye irritation test with rabbits.

The enucleated eye test (EET) with the isolated eye of rabbits has been recognized as a valuable alternative to the Draize test, because it represents a test system nearest to the in vivo test, without the need to use live animals. In this ex vivo bioassay, three parameters are measured to detect possible adverse eye effects, namely corneal swelling, corneal opacity and fluorescein retention. The measurement of corneal swelling in this assay guarantees a highly objective and discriminative parameter. In combination with the detailed observation of corneal opacity and fluorescein retention, a reliable evaluation of the eye irritation potential of test materials is achieved. However, laboratory animals are still necessary as eye donors. The use of slaughter animals, such as the cow, the pig and the chicken, as possible as eye donors for the EET was therefore examined. From these candidates, the chicken appeared to be the most practicable. 21 reference compounds, ranging from non-irritant to severe irritant, which had been tested previously in a validation study on alternative test methods for eye irritation testing, sponsored by the Commission of the European Communities, were examined in the Chicken Enucleated Eye Test (CEET). When compared with the in vivo EC classification, the CEET correctly classified each of the compounds that must be labelled in the EC as irritant (R36) or severely irritant (R41). In addition, since the CEET recognizes three levels of irritancy rather than two (as in the case of the EC classification) a small number of the compounds were recognized as slightly irritant, which according to the EC classification need not be labelled. It was concluded that this ex vivo test system is highly accurate in the assessment of eye irritation potential without the use of laboratory animals.

Animal Testing Alternatives↗
PubMed1992

Evaluation of the E-Test for susceptibility testing of pneumococci.

The E-Test (AB Biodisk, Sweden) is an antibiotic gradient strip that is applied to an inoculated agar plate and results in an elliptical zone of inhibition that intercepts the graded strip, producing a quantitative (microgram per milliliter) result. Pneumococci (100) were used in this study, 38 penicillin-susceptible [minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs), less than or equal to 0.12 micrograms/ml], 42 intermediately resistant (MICs, 0.12-1.0 micrograms/ml), and 20 resistant (MICs, greater than 1 microgram/ml). E-Test strips were evaluated on Mueller-Hinton agar plates with 5% sheep blood. Agar dilution MICs were determined by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) method. Penicillin MICs for the E-Test tended to be slightly lower (one log2 dilution) than reference MICs due to the continuous scale from which E-Test MICs were read. All but two penicillin-susceptible isolates were correctly categorized by the E-Test method. Of the 62 penicillin-resistant strains, 59 had E-Test MICs of greater than or equal to 0.12 micrograms/ml, with 88% of these strains having E-Test MICs within one doubling dilution of the reference MICs. However, using the current NCCLS breakpoint MICs, many of the penicillin-resistant strains with reference MICs of 2 micrograms/ml were categorized as intermediate by the E-Test, with MICs of 0.38-1 microgram/ml. For chloramphenicol, erythromycin, and tetracycline, correlation of the two methods was excellent. E-Test chloramphenicol MICs provided clearer separation of susceptible and resistant strains than did the reference method. We conclude that the E-Test is a reliable method for determination of MICs of the antibiotics evaluated for pneumococci.

Chloramphenicol↗
PubMed2006

A university hospital's 10-year experience with tuberculin testing: value of the 2-step tuberculin skin test.

BACKGROUND: The usefulness of the 2-step tuberculin skin test as a tool for monitoring tuberculosis exposure among health care workers is controversial. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine the cost-effectiveness and influence of initiation of a preemployment, 2-step tuberculin skin-testing program on the annual tuberculin skin conversion rate among a university hospital's health care workers. METHODS: The tuberculin skin test conversion rates among the recipients of 31,729 tuberculin skin tests over 10 years were retrospectively analyzed. Data from the first 6 years of this study were generated when a single preemployment tuberculin skin test was utilized. Data from the last 4 years were gathered after the advent of a preemployment 2-step program. A cost analysis of the 2-step tuberculin skin test process was performed to determine the annual cost of this program. RESULTS: Relative risk of a conversion was 8.43 times less during the 2-step period when compared with the years when a single tuberculin skin test was given at the start of employment (P < .001). A cost analysis showed that the annual added cost of the 2-step program was approximately 9,565 US dollars. CONCLUSION: A greater than 8-fold reduction in the number of annual tuberculin skin test conversion coincided with, but could not be attributed solely to, the initiation of a 2-step program in our hospital. The Infection Control Committee concluded that the 2-step testing program is essential to achieve the hospital's goal of a 0% annual tuberculin skin test conversion rate and that the annual cost is justified.

Chi-Square Distribution↗
PubMed2005

Simultaneous use of thyrotropin-releasing hormone test and combined dexamethasone/corticotropine-releasing hormone test for severity evaluation and outcome prediction in patients with major depressive disorder.

We performed a prospective study designed to examine whether or not evaluation of the severity and prediction of treatment outcome in major depressive disorder would be enabled by simultaneous use of the thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) test and the combined dexamethasone/corticotropin-releasing hormone (DEX/CRH) test. We studied consecutive patients hospitalized for major depressive disorder. The patients received the TRH test and the DEX/CRH test on the 4th through the 7th hospital days and at the time of improvement. None of the indices in these tests at the time of admission correlated with the Hamilton rating scale for depression (HRSD) or the Global Assessment for Function (GAF). However, since the DeltaMAXACTH, ACTHAUC, DeltaMAXcortisol, and CortisolAUC showed significant decreases at the time of improvement compared with the time of admission, suggesting that the DEX/CRH test can be a state marker. DeltaMAXTSH showed no significant change. Prediction of improvement within 3 months after admission was not possible with either test alone. However, the quotient which divided DeltaMAXACTH by DeltaMAXTSH was predictive of clinical improvement with a sensitivity of 50% and a specificity of 100%. The simultaneous use of the TRH test and the DEX/CRH test seems to provide a more useful biological marker than the separate use of either test alone in patients with major depressive disorder.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1999

Stress testing: national patterns and predictors of test ordering.

OBJECTIVE: To determine predictors of ordering of exercise stress tests. BACKGROUND: Because exercise stress testing is routinely used and widely available and may have an effect on subsequent evaluation of and therapy for heart disease, understanding current patterns of ordering exercise stress tests may have important implications for national health care costs. We hypothesized that factors other than clinical condition exert an influence on ordering of exercise stress tests. METHODS: Data from the 1991 and 1992 National Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics were analyzed by means of multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: In an estimated 1.12 billion adult visits to office-based physicians in the United States (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.16 billion), 6.2 million (95% CI, 4.8-7.6 million) exercise stress tests were ordered. After adjustment for clinical and nonclinical variables associated with the office visit, cardiologists were 3.7 (95% CI, 2.7-5.1) times more likely to order exercise stress tests than were internists, who were more likely to order an exercise stress test than were family and general practitioners (0.5, 95% CI, 0.3-0.7). Nonclinical factors associated with increased ordering of exercise stress tests included male sex (odds ratio 2.5; 95% CI, 2.0-3.2), white race (odds ratio 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1-2.3), new referral status (odds ratio 3.8; 95% CI, 2.5-5.8), and private insurance (odds ratio 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.8). Medicare recipients were about half (95% CI, 0.4-0.9) as likely as other patients to have an exercise stress test ordered. CONCLUSIONS: Factors other than clinical condition exert an influence on ordering of exercise stress tests and may represent modifiable elements associated with appropriate practice.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Repeatability of an automated Landolt C test, compared with the early treatment of diabetic retinopathy study (ETDRS) chart testing.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the repeatability of visual acuity scores from the automated test and compare them with the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart. DESIGN: Instrument validation study based on a model of repeatability study in two observations. SMETHODS: a prospective, clinic-based, comparative study. A total of 206 participants without ocular diseases and refractive errors in their right eyes were randomly enrolled in the automated group in which 107 participants performed the automated test and the ETDRS group in which 99 participants read the ETDRS chart. All participants were tested with only their right eyes without corrections at 4 meters and came back to have the same tests 1 week later. The automated test used the Landolt rings as optotypes and was conducted by a low-ended personal computer with a 15-inch monitor and a wireless keyboard. The "letter" score calculated by counting every correct response to optotypes, and the "threshold curve" score interpreted from the optotype size at the midpoint of a visual acuity threshold curve. RESULTS: The 95% confidence interval of test-retest of visual acuity scores from the automated test are comparable to the ETDRS chart (.143 compared with.125 for letter scores,.145 compared with.122 for threshold curve scores). The score repeatabilities, calculated from the standard deviations of test-retest, from the automated test are also comparable to the ETDRS chart (.201 compared with.177 for letter scores,.206 compared with.172 for threshold curve scores). All comparisons demonstrated no statistical difference (P >.05). CONCLUSIONS: The automated testing system in this study enables practical measuring visual acuity by the Landolt rings. The system's repeatability, which is comparable to the ETDRS chart, supports its role as an alternative tool for measuring outcome in new clinical research. Its ability to practically generate visual acuity threshold curves may also be useful in future clinical research studies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Threshold visual acuity testing of preschool children using the crowded HOTV and Lea Symbols acuity tests.

PURPOSE: To compare the testability and threshold acuity levels for very young children on the crowded HOTV logMAR distance visual acuity test presented on the BVAT apparatus and the Lea Symbols logMAR distance visual acuity chart. METHODS: Subjects were 87 Head Start children from age 3 to 3.5 years. Testing consisted of binocular pretraining at near using a lap card as needed, binocular pretraining at 3 m, and threshold testing for each eye. The testing procedure, adapted from the Amblyopia Treatment Study, presented optotypes until the child was unable to correctly name or match three of three or three of four optotypes of a given size. Threshold acuity was the smallest size for which at least three optotypes were correctly identified. RESULTS: Both near and distance pretraining were completed by 71% of children for HOTV and by 75% for Lea Symbols (P =.39). The distribution of threshold acuities differed between the two tests. For the 69 eyes of 53 children who were successfully tested with both optotypes, results from the crowded HOTV acuity test were on average 0.25 logMar (2.5 lines) better than those from the Lea Symbols acuity test (P <.001). CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of children between 3 and 3.5 years of age whose monocular visual acuity could be assessed was high and was similar for the two charts tested. Crowded HOTV acuity results were better on average than results using Lea symbols. The different formats of the two tests may explain the observed differences in threshold acuity level.

Amblyopia↗
PubMed2003

The effects of practice on the cognitive test performance of neurologically normal individuals assessed at brief test-retest intervals.

Performance on many cognitive and neuropsychological tests may be improved by prior exposure to testing stimuli and procedures. These beneficial practice effects can have a significant impact on test performance when conventional neuropsychological tests are administered at test-retest intervals of weeks, months or years. Many recent investigations have sought to determine changes in cognitive function over periods of minutes or hours (e.g., before and after anesthesia) using computerized tests. However, the effects of practice at such brief test-retest intervals has not been reported. The current study sought to determine the magnitude of practice effects in a group of 113 individuals assessed with an automated cognitive test battery on 4 occasions in 1 day. Practice effects were evident both between and within assessments, and also within individual tests. However, these effects occurred mostly between the 1st and 2nd administration of the test battery, with smaller, nonsignificant improvements observed between the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th administrations. On the basis of these results, methodological and statistical strategies that may aid in the differentiation of practice effects from drug-induced cognitive changes are proposed.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Development of a new test for mechanical irritation: behind the knee as a test site.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Certain consumer products, such as feminine hygiene products, and baby and adult diapers, are worn for prolonged periods of time in close proximity to the skin. A sensitive test method was needed to evaluate these products and their components for the potential to cause mechanical irritation during use. METHODS: We investigated several test sites on the body where normal, daily activities provided the opportunity for movement and, therefore, friction. These test sites were: the back of the knee, the axilla, and the wrist. Three exposure regimens were tested: 6-h daily for 4 days, 24-h daily for 3 days, and 24-h daily for 4 days. Controls consisted of satin fabric (a non-irritating material) or burlap (an irritating material). Test materials were secured to the test sites using an Ace elastic bandage (on the back of the knee), a snug fitting garment (on the axilla), or an athletic band (on the wrist). Test sites were scored for irritation on a visual scale prior to the initial application and 30-60 min after removal each day. Data were evaluated for the ability to reliably detect irritating materials, and for the ability to consistently differentiate between irritating and non-irritating materials. Quantitative measures of these abilities were used to rank the overall effectiveness of various test protocols as a model for mechanical irritation. RESULTS/CONCLUSION: The results of these studies indicated that a protocol using the back of the knee as a test site with an exposure regimen of 6-h daily for 4 days, best met the success criteria for an effective test system for evaluating mechanical irritation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

[The 13C-acetate breath test for the noninvasive assessment of the gastric emptying of a liquid/solid test meal in diabetics].

OBJECTIVE: To test in a prospective study whether the non-invasive 13C-acetate test is suitable for measuring gastric emptying time with a liquid/solid test meal. (99m)technetium scintigraphy served as the reference method. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 18 consecutive type 2 diabetics with symptoms of gastroparesis (nine men, nine women; mean age 64 [45-76] years) were, after a nocturnal fasting period, given a liquid/solid test meal (370 kcal; 100 ml coffee; doubly marked with 75 mg 13C-acetate and 0.5 mCi 99mTc-colloid). At ten-minute intervals breath samples were taken over two hours and examined by mass spectometry for the 13CO2/12CO2 ratio. In parallel scintigraphy was performed for one hour at one-minute intervals. Gastric emptying half-life (t1/2) was calculated and the correlation between the two methods determined. In addition, the 13C-acetate breath test was performed on 20 healthy subjects to assess reproducibility (ten men, ten women; mean age 44.4 [23-77] years). RESULTS: Median t1/2 with the scintigraphy was 93.5 min, with the breath test 55 min, i.e. a significant correlation (r = 0.8; P < 0.001). Four of five patients with delayed gastric emptying by scintigraphy also showed delay (compared with the control group) in the breath test (median t1/2: 41 min; 95th percentile: 86 min). CONCLUSION: The 13C-acetate test correlated significantly with the results by scintigraphy. It can therefore be recommended as a non-invasive test for assessing gastric emptying time after a liquid/solid test meal in type 2 diabetics.

Acetates↗
PubMed2000

The value of routine preoperative medical testing before cataract surgery. Study of Medical Testing for Cataract Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Routine preoperative medical testing is commonly performed in patients scheduled to undergo cataract surgery, although the value of such testing is uncertain. We performed a study to determine whether routine testing helps reduce the incidence of intraoperative and postoperative medical complications. METHODS: We randomly assigned 19,557 elective cataract operations in 18,189 patients at nine centers to be preceded or not preceded by a standard battery of medical tests (electrocardiography, complete blood count, and measurement of serum levels of electrolytes, urea nitrogen, creatinine, and glucose), in addition to a history taking and physical examination. Adverse medical events and interventions on the day of surgery and during the seven days after surgery were recorded. RESULTS: Medical outcomes were assessed in 9408 patients who underwent 9626 cataract operations that were not preceded by routine testing and in 9411 patients who underwent 9624 operations that were preceded by routine testing. The most frequent medical events in both groups were treatment for hypertension and arrhythmia (principally bradycardia). The overall rate of complications (intraoperative and postoperative events combined) was the same in the two groups (31.3 events per 1000 operations). There were also no significant differences between the no-testing group and the testing group in the rates of intraoperative events (19.2 and 19.7, respectively, per 1000 operations) and postoperative events (12.6 and 12.1 per 1000 operations). Analyses stratified according to age, sex, race, physical status (according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists classification), and medical history revealed no benefit of routine testing. CONCLUSIONS: Routine medical testing before cataract surgery does not measurably increase the safety of the surgery.

Aged↗