Wow....  STAT Carotids at night for mental status changes......  What a 
gold mine [  ;-)   sarcasmism].

I am convinced by all of this that we still have alot of educating to 
do.  Maybe, in part, some of us all guilty since we used to do the study 
as ordered, even if the Doc didn't order the appropriate test (Now, don't 
flame me on that---I think that that is a minor part of the problem, if 
at all!)  On the other hand, this technology has progressed a great deal 
and except for those intimate with it's use, they perhaps don't 
understand the potential.

I can think of some reasons for stat carotids: (at any time of day)

Suspected carotid trauma (Usually blunt trauma with bruise over anterior 
neck, etc)

Immediate (or soon) post-op CEA with change in clinical status

That's all I can think of at the moment, and those all pretty few for us...

MAR


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Michael A. Ricci, MD			
Assistant Professor of Surgery			Phone:  (802) 656-8455
Vascular and Transplant Surgery			FAX:    (802) 893-0305
University of Vermont College of Medicine

Office: FAHC-University Health Center Campus
	One South Prospect Street
	Burlington, VT  05401
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