Data Interpretation Flashcards
When can haematological blood tests be abnormal?
- aneamia
- cancer
- sickle cell
- Haemorrhange - GI/PE bleed
- trauma
What comes under haematological tests?
FBC
- HB
- Mean Cell Volume
- Platelets
- reduced in - clotting disorders, alcoholics
- Raised in - lymphoma
- WCC
- Raised in = infection, leukaemia
- low in = recurrent infection, acquired immune suppression (HIV)
D-Dimer (when thrombus breaks down produces d-dimer)
- raised in DVT, cancer
Group + save/crossmatch
Coagulation
- INR
- Prothrombin
- Activated partial thromboplastin time
- Fibrinogen
- Thrombin
What comes under biochemical tests?
U+Es (kidney function)
- Na
- hypernatremia e.g. dehydration
- hyponatremic e.g. Addisons
- K
- hyperkalemia e.g. arrhythmia
- hypokalaemia e.g. drugs
- Creatine
- Raised e.g. kidney failure
- Urea
- Raised e.g. not perfused kidneys or being reabsorbed
CRP
- Raised in inflammatory process
Troponin T
- Shows myocardial damage has occurred
LFTs
- Bilorubin
- Raised e.g. jaundice
- always look at pre, intra and post when looking at kidneys + liver
- Albumin
- Protein
- Reduced = oedema as protein is needed to draw fluid back into the capillary bed
Pancreatic enzymes
- Amylase
- Lipase
Plain radiograph uses
- bones white as they absorb radiation
- air is dark
- if bones overlapping get increased whiteness
CT uses
Benefits;
- Good to look at bones
- Good for picking up big structure abnormalities
- Good to see when someone’s bleeding out
- Good for looking for cancer
Disadvantages;
- Exposing pt to lot of radiation
- Not good for looking at small soft tissue changes e.g. brain, spinal cord and nerves because it can’t pick up small details
Ultrasound uses
- No radiation
- Quick & cheap
- Good at looking at soft tissue; kidneys, liver, baby’s
Disadvantage;
- Very operational sensitive
MRI uses
- Can see damage in small soft tissue, good for;
- MS
- Epilepsy
- No radiation
What is the tool to view chest x-ray
Adequate
- Is it adequate - can you see from bottom of diaphragm to top of clavicle
Bronchial breathing
- Can you see trachea & bronchi & lung fields
Bones
- looking at rib cage for any fractures, dark areas over bone =could be neumothorax
Cardiac
- what is size of heart - enlarged could be cardiomyopathy
- Can u see boarders of heart, loss of contours around heart = fluid
- Pulmonary oedema appears as cotton wool
Diaphragm
- Can you see the diaphragm
Everything else
- scapula, clavicles
What comes under ABGs?
- PH (7.35-7.45)
- PO2 (10-14 kPa)
- PCO2 (4.5-6kPa)
- Base excess (-2 - 2)
- Bicarbonate (22-26 mmol)
- Lactate (0.5-1 mmol)
- HB
- Electrolytes
- Glucose (4-7.5)
- CO/MetHb
Define sepsis
Sepsis = Dissregulation of the inflammatory process
- Organ dissregulation (inflammatory cascade, hypertension, oedema)
- Cellular dissregulation - abnormal ATP production = lactate production
What is PH?
- concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution
- When a solution becomes more acidic the concentration of hydrogen ions increases and the pH falls
- Hydrogen ions are excreted via the kidney and carbon dioxide is excreted via the lungs.
- If the buffers e.g. plasma proteins and excretion mechanisms are overwhelmed and acid is continually produced, the he pH falls. This creates a metabolic acidosis.
What is base excess?
- This is the amount of strong base which would need to be added or subtracted from a substance in order to return the pH to normal (7.40).
- A base excess more than +2 mEq/L indicates a metabolic alkalosis.
- A base excess less than -2 mEq/L indicates a metabolic acidosis.
What is bicarbonate?
- Bicarbonate is produced by the kidneys and acts as a buffer to maintain a normal pH. The normal range for bicarbonate is 22 – 26mmol/l.
- If there are additional acids in the blood the level of bicarbonate will fall as ions are used to buffer these acids. If there is a chronic acidosis additional bicarbonate is produced by the kidneys to keep the pH in range.
- raised bicarbonate may be seen in chronic type 2 respiratory failure where the pH remains normal despite a raised CO .
What is electrolytes?
venous or arterial blood gas - check potassium + sodium - e.g. for management of cardiac arrhythmias
What is lactate?
- Produced as a by-product of anaerobic respiration.
- good indicator of poor tissue perfusion.