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Blood Test Interpretation Flashcards

1
Q

What is a Full Blood Count (FBC)?

A

Test to check the types and numbers of cells in the blood, including red blood cells, white blood cells, haemoglobin, neutrophils and platelets.

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2
Q

What types of cells do FBCs test?

A
  • Haemoglobin
  • White blood cells
  • Red blood cells
  • Neutrophils
  • Platelets
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3
Q

What is haemoglobin, tested in FBCs?

A
  • Protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen in the blood
  • Gives blood its red colour
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4
Q

What is the normal range of haemoglobin levels in men?

A

132-173 g/l (grams per litre)

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5
Q

What is the normal range of haemoglobin levels in women?

A

117-155 g/l (grams per litre)

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6
Q

What are the implications if haemoglobin levels are low in an FBC?

A
  • Anaemia (iron deficiency, iron is used to produce red blood cells, which help store and carry oxygen in the blood)
  • Blood loss
  • Haemodilution (an increase in the fluid content of blood leading to a lower concentration of red blood cells)
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7
Q

What are the implications if haemoglobin levels are high in an FBC?

A
  • Polycythaemia (or erythrocytosis, means having a high concentration of red blood cells in your blood)
  • Dehydration (it lowers the fluid volume in your blood relative to red blood cells, which contain haemoglobin)
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8
Q

What are White Blood Cells, tested in FBCs?

A
  • Defence against infections
  • Includes neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils and basophils
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9
Q

What is the normal range of White Blood Cell count for men?

A

3.7-9.5

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10
Q

What is the normal range of White Blood Cell count for women?

A

3.9-11.1

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11
Q

What are the implications of low White Blood Cell count?

A
  • Following chemotherapy
  • Steroid therapy
  • AIDS
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12
Q

What are the implications of high White Blood Cell count?

A
  • Viral infections
  • Leukaemia
  • Asthma
  • Organ damage
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13
Q

What are neutrophils?

A
  • Type of white blood cell that acts as the body’s first line of defence
  • They capture and destroy invading microorganisms
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14
Q

What is the normal range of neutrophils?

A

2-7.5

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15
Q

What are the implications of a low amount of neutrophils?

A
  • Following chemotherapy
  • Steroid therapy
  • Viral infections
  • B12 deficiency
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16
Q

What are the implications of a high amount of neutrophils?

A
  • Viral infection
  • Use of cytotoxic drugs treating leukaemia
  • Inflammatory trauma/bleeding
  • Burns
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17
Q

What is the function of platelets?

A

Clot formation occurs when platelets and blood protein fibrin combine

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18
Q

What is thrombocytopenic?

A

A condition that occurs when the platelet count in the blood is too low. Platelets are tiny blood cells that are made in the bone marrow from larger cells. When you are injured, platelets stick together to form a plug to seal your wound. This plug is called a blood clot.
People with low platelets are at a greater risk of bleeding.

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19
Q

What is thrombocytosis?

A
  • High platelet count
  • From infection or autoimmune disease
  • More likely to cause dangerous clots in blood vessels leading to heart attack or stroke
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20
Q

What is the normal range of platelet count?

A

150-400

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21
Q

What are the implications of low platelet count?

A
  • Anaemia
  • Bone marrow infiltration
  • Pancytopenia (deficiency of all three cellular components of the blood (red cells, white cells, and platelets))
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22
Q

What are the implications of a high platelet count?

A
  • Infection
  • Trauma
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23
Q

What is the function of C-Reactive Protein (CRP)?

A
  • Protein that is indicative to bacterial infection
  • CRP levels help monitor the severity of inflammation
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24
Q

What is the normal range of CRP?

A

<10 mg/l

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25
Q

What are the implications of a high CRP level?

A
  • Infection
  • Lupus
  • Crohns disease
  • Ulcerative colitis
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26
Q

What is U&Es?

A
  • Urea & Electrolytes
  • Gold topped bottle
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27
Q

What is tested in U&Es test?

A
  • Urea
  • Creatinine
  • Albumin
  • Sodium
  • Potassium
  • Calcium
  • Phosphate
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28
Q

What is urea?

A
  • Metabolic waste that results from cellular metabolism (breakdown of proteins)
  • Found in urine, blood, perspiration, milk and bile
  • The urea travels from your liver to your kidneys through your bloodstream. Healthy kidneys filter urea and remove other waste products from your blood. The filtered waste products leave your body through urine.
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29
Q

What is the normal range of urea in a U&Es test?

A

2.5-6.5 mmol/l

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30
Q

What are the implications of low urea levels?

A
  • Low protein diet
  • Immediately post haemodialysis
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31
Q

What are the implications of high urea levels?

A
  • Acidosis (a condition in which there is too much acid in the body fluids, pH <7.36)
  • Renal insufficiency
  • Severe dehydration
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32
Q

What is creatinine?

A
  • Metabolic waste that results from muscle turnover
  • It is excreted by the kidneys
  • Indicator as to how well the kidneys are working
33
Q

What is the normal range of creatinine?

34
Q

What are the implications of a high amount of creatinine?

A
  • Poor kidney function
  • Chronic kidney disease (CKD)
  • Trauma
  • Strong antibiotics over a long period of time
35
Q

What is albumin?

A
  • A protein made by the liver
  • It keeps fluid from leaking out into the bloodstream, important for generating osmotic pressure
36
Q

What is the normal range for albumin?

37
Q

What are the implications of low albumin levels?

A
  • Oedema (a build-up of fluid in the body which causes the affected tissue to become swollen)
  • Oliguria (urinary output less than 400 ml per day or less than 20 ml per hour and is one of the earliest signs of impaired renal function)
  • Low BP
  • Malnutrition
38
Q

What are the implications of high albumin levels?

A
  • Dehydration
  • Polyuria (Excessive urination volume)
  • High BP
39
Q

What is the function of sodium?

A

Important for water balance within the body, necessary for the generation of nerve impulses and muscle contraction.

40
Q

What is the normal range of sodium?

A

135-145 mmol/l

41
Q

What are the implications of low sodium levels?

A
  • Renal failure
  • Diarrhoea
  • Muscle weakness/cramps
  • Oedema
  • Fits
  • Coma
42
Q

What are the implications of high sodium levels?

A
  • Thirst
  • Dehydration
  • Diarrhoea
  • Postural hypotension
43
Q

What is the function of potassium?

A
  • Necessary for the generation of nerve impulses and muscle contraction
  • If the values are low or high then this is life threatening and needs treating immediately
44
Q

What is the normal range of potassium?

A

3.5-5.3 mmol/l

45
Q

What are the implications of low potassium?

A
  • Muscle weakness/cramps
  • Paralysis of the bowel
  • Dizziness and confusion
  • GI fistulae (an abnormal opening in the stomach or intestines that allows the contents to leak to another part of the body)
46
Q

What are the implications of high potassium?

A
  • Muscle cramps
  • Arrhythmias leading to cardiac arrest
  • Metabolic acidosis (diabetics)
  • Renal failure
47
Q

What is the function of calcium?

A
  • Important for the generation of nerve impulses and muscle contraction
  • Important for maintenance of teeth and bones
  • Important for blood coagulation
  • Low calcium: hypocalcaemia
  • High calcium: hypercalcaemia
48
Q

What is the normal range of calcium levels?

A

2.1-2.65 mmol/l

49
Q

What are the implications of low calcium levels?

A
  • Tetany (involuntary muscle contractions)
  • Low BP
  • Depression
50
Q

What are the implications of high calcium levels?

A
  • Imbalance of muscle activity
  • Muscle weakness
  • High BP
51
Q

What is the function of phosphate?

A
  • Helps produce energy
  • Maintains muscle and nerve functions
  • Necessary for the formation of bones and teeth
52
Q

What is the normal range of phosphate levels?

A

0.9-1.3 mmol/l

53
Q

What are the implications of low amount of phosphate?

A
  • Malnutrition
  • Muscle weakness
54
Q

What are the implications of high amount of phosphate?

A

Poor kidney function

55
Q

What is Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR)?

A
  • Doctors calculate how many milimetres of waste the kidneys should be able to filter in a minute
  • Healthy kidneys should be able to filter more than 90 ml/min
  • You may have CKD if your rate is lower than this
  • Results correlate to stages 1-5
56
Q

What is stage 1 eGFR?

A

Stage 1 (G1)
- A normal eGFR above 90 ml/min
- But other tests have detected signs of kidney damage

57
Q

What is stage 5 eGFR?

A

Stage 5 (G5)
- An eGFR below 15 ml/min, meaning the kidneys have lost almost all of their function

58
Q

What does a low eGFR imply?

A

Normal kidney function

59
Q

What does a high eGFR imply?

A
  • CKD (chronic kidney disease)
  • AKI (acute kidney injury)
60
Q

What is a Liver Function Test (LFT)?

A
  • Liver function tests, also referred to as a hepatic panel, are groups of blood tests that provide information about the state of a patient’s liver
  • Tests bilirubin, alanine transaminase (ALT) and others
  • Gold topped bottle
61
Q

What is bilirubin?

A
  • A yellow pigment that is made during the breakdown of red blood cells
  • It passes through the liver and gets excreted out by the kidneys
  • Jaundice is an indicator that the levels are high
62
Q

What is the normal range of bilirubin levels?

63
Q

What are the implications of high bilirubin levels?

A
  • Liver problems
  • Bile duct blockage
  • Gallbladder blockage
64
Q

What is alanine transaminase (ALT)?

A
  • Enzyme found in the liver
  • When liver cells get damaged, they release ALT into the bloodstream
65
Q

What is the normal range of ALT?

66
Q

What are the implications of high ALT?

A

Liver disease

67
Q

What is involved in a clotting screen? (blue topped bottle)

A
  • Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (APTT)
  • International Normalised Ratio (INR)
  • Blood cultures
68
Q

What is Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (APTT)?

A
  • Laboratory technique used with heparin treatment
  • Tests how quickly blood clots
69
Q

What is the normal time range for APTT?

A

27-35 seconds

70
Q

What are the implications of a low APTT time?

A

Higher risk of developing blood clots

71
Q

What are the implications of a high APTT time?

A
  • Liver disease
  • Bleeding disorder
72
Q

What is International Normalised Ratio (INR)?

A
  • Monitors the dose of anticoagulants used
  • Tests how quickly blood clots
73
Q

What is the normal range of INR?

A
  • 0.9-1.2
  • (2-3 if patient is taking warfarin)
74
Q

What are the implications of low INR?

A

Bleeding disorder

75
Q

What are the implications of high INR?

A
  • Liver disease
  • Bleeding disorder
76
Q

What is the function of blood cultures?

A
  • Blood is combined with nutrients to help bacteria grow
  • Cultures are incubated for several days
77
Q

What is the normal for blood cultures?

A

If positive, the specific, microorganism causing the infection is identified and the doctor can prescribe the appropriate antibiotic

78
Q

What are the common blood tests?

A
  • Full Blood Count (FBC)
  • C Reactive Protein (CRP)
  • Urea and Electrolytes (U&Es)
  • Kidney Function Tests (eGFR)
  • Liver Function Tests (LFTs)
  • Troponin (Cardiac Trop)

Adult Nursing (23 decks)

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