(8) III. TESTS FOR DETOXIFICATION FUNCTION Flashcards
- Used to assess the extent of liver damage.
- Indicator of cell injury in early or localized liver disease (hepatocellular/functional disease)
Enzyme tests
Significant Hepatic enzymes:
- AST
- ALT
- GGT
- LDH
- 5’N
- OCT (Ornithine Carbamoyl Transferase)
- Diagnostic marker of hepatic failure
- Detoxified into urea (liver), then eliminated by the kidneys (urine)
Ammonia
- Diagnostic marker of hepatic failure
- Detoxified into urea (liver), then eliminated by the kidneys (urine)
Ammonia
Preferred spx for ammonia
venous blood
Preferred spx for ammonia
o venous blood
o Plasma using Heparin, EDTA, Potassium oxalate
o Kept in ice water during transport
✓ If not placed in ice → false ↓ in NH3
✓ Bcos some bacteria can convert NH3 to Urea
During collection of NH3:
o During collection, tourniquet <1min use. only
o Fist clenching : false ↑
Spx precautions for NH3:
o Smoking: false ↑NH3 by 100-200ug/L per cigar
✓ Both for px & phlebotomist bcos NH3 sticks to clothing.
o Exercise
o Probing of vein
o Under filling of tube
o Hemolysis: RBC NH3 are 2-3x more concentrated than plasma NH3
✓ False ↑ in NH3
NH3 Storage:
Ice or Frozen
produced by deamination of AA
Ammonia
How is NH3 formed?
Proteins are long chains of AA connected together by peptide bonds. When these bonds are destroyed, AA are liberated which are then transaminated & deaminated forming Ammonia.
In hepatic failure, what happens if ammonia is not converted to urea?
accumulation of ammonia forms glutamate which is neurotoxic.
NOTE!
Ammonia must be converted to urea thru the urea cycle / Krebs henseleit cycle in the LIVER & which is then excreted in urine.
↑glutamate
= coma