title: You can safely skip the LDH and save thousands.
abstract: Walter Reed Army Medical Center ran a utilization review study on lactate dehydrogenase testing and concluded it's not needed to rule out myocardial infarction. Not performing 6,177 tests saved the hospital $47,000. Nearly 3/4 of hospitals perform unnecessary tests routinely. National guidelines have recommended against routine LDH testing since 1990.
mesh_terms: D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004219:District of Columbia; D006772:Hospitals, Military; D006801:Humans; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000097:blood*; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis*; D019564:Unnecessary Procedures; D014600:Utilization Review