Lab Values Flashcards
Name 4 commonly ordered tests
• CBC (complete blood count) • BMP (basic metabolic panel) • Cardiac Enzymes test • Coagulation tests (PTT and INR)
Key components of CBC (Complete blood count) are:
Red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, hemoglobin, hematocrit
Low red blood cell levels indicate ____ , high levels indicate _______or ____
anemia
dehydration or bleeding
High white blood cell levels indicate ____ or _____
Infection or
immune disorder
Platelets are ____ factors,
clotting
Low platelet levels indicate ___ disorder, high levels increase risk of ____
bleeding
clots
Hemoglobin carries ____ in the blood, low levels results in _____
Oxygen
anemia
Hematocrit – how much space ___ take up in blood.
RBCs
High hematocrit levels indicate ____, low levels indicate ___
dehydration
anemia
The BMP tests for what four things?
- Glucose
- Calcium
- Electrolytes (sodium, potassium, CO2 chloride)
- Kidney function (BUN and creatinine)
The basic metabolic panel (BMP) looks at different chemicals in the ____
blood plasma.
Extremely low blood sugar is below ____
Extremely high blood sugar is over ___
70
350
Calcium is an important ion for ___ function, ___ function, and ___ function.
Bone, kidney, thyroid
Abnormal calcium levels are associated with ___
cancer
Hypercalcemia (high levels of calcium) can indicate ___ or ____
hyperparathyroidism or bone cancer
Hypocalcemia (low levels of calcium) can indicate which four diseases?
Liver disease (alcoholism,) hypoparathyroidism, pancreatitis, and renal failure.
Hypernatremia, or high sodium, is a sodium level over __
140
Hyponatremia, or low sodium, is a sodium level under ___
120
Hypernatremia, or high sodium usually results from ___ or sometimes _____
dehydration or
sometimes diabetes insipidus
Hyponatremia, or low sodium, indicates what 6 things?
diarrhea, kidney disease, Addison
disease, heart failure (fluid overload), cirrhosis, or malnutrition
• Hypokalemia – low potassium (<3.0) can occur with diarrhea, Tylenol
overdose, or excess urination due to diuretic medication
potassium
Potassium levels should be between __ and ___
3 and 5
Hyperkalemia can result from?
kidney disease, Addison
disease, diabetes, dehydration, infection, and injuries to tissue
Hypokalemia can occur with?
diarrhea, Tylenol
overdose, or excess urination due to diuretic medication
High CO2 levels can indicate
lung disease (COPD), metabolic alkalosis (high pH), and certain syndromes
Low CO2 levels can indicate
shock, Addison disease, metabolic acidosis
(low pH), kidney disease, methanol or ethylene glycol poisoning,
kidney disease, or diabetic ketoacidosis
High chloride levels can indicate
-
dehydration, Cushing syndrome, or
kidney disease and metabolic acidosis
Low chloride levels can indicate
CHF, emphysema and chronic lung
disease, Addison disease, and metabolic alkalosis
Blood urea nitrogen is used to identify
acute or chronic kidney
disease
High blood urea nitrogen levels are associated with? (4 things)
congestive heart failure, shock, heart attack,
and dehydration.
BNP elevation is also present with excess ____ breakdown
protein breakdown
Excess protein breakdown is also called?
Rhabdomyolysis
Low BUN levels are associated with severe ____, but low BUN is uncommon
severe liver disease
Elevated creatinine levels indicate ___ injury due to infection,
autoimmune disease, toxicity, prostate disease, dehydration, septic
shock, CHF, or diabetes.
kidney
Low creatinine levels are not ____
significant.
The BMP measures certain cardiac enzymes including (name two) include: •
•
Creatine kinase
Troponins
Creatine Kinase is a blood product released when
heart muscle is
damaged
Troponins- protein involved in
muscle contraction
High troponin levels indicate
heart muscle damage
High levels of creatine or “positive” troponins indicate the presence of a
heart attack.
If a client has high cardiac enzyme levels, hold treatment unless.
They are cleared by the physician.
In most circumstances, if a client has high cardiac enzyme levels, it is generally OK to
treat if they are
trending down.
INR is a chemical marker associated with the use of .
• H
coumadin (warfarin)
High INR levels indicate ___ risk, and low levels indicate increased risk for ____
Bleeding risk, low levels indicate
increased risk for blood clots
PTT is a chemical marker associated with the use of
heparin.
High PTT levels indicate ___, low levels indicate increased risk for ___
bleeding risk
blood clots
____ is a chemical released when heart muscle is stretched.
Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP)
High levels of BNP (>___ pg/ml) are an indicator of
congestive heart failure (CHF). Levels above___ pg/ml indicate severe
heart failure.
300
900
Patients in severe heart failure should be monitored for symptoms of (4 things)
shortness of breath, low blood pressure, swelling of the legs, and
dizziness.
Treatment should be held for any lab value labeled as a ___ or ____lab
unless treatment is specifically ordered by the physician after they have been
made aware of the abnormal result. (This varies by the physician- always
follow the protocol for that facility!).
critical or panic
Therapy is also held for any ___ radiology procedures (MRI, CT, ABG’s,
Ultrasound, EKG).
STAT
Therapy should be held for potassium levels less than __ or greater than ___
3
5
Therapy should be held for hemoglobin below __ or hematocrit below ___
8
24
• Blood sugar less than __ may cause patients to become unresponsive.
If they regain consciousness quickly, their symptoms are usually
relieved by giving them a snack (OJ, peanut butter crackers) and
waiting a few minutes for their sugar to come back to a safe range.
Hold if blood sugar is above ___ .
70
350
Which abnormal lab value is associated with Severe anemia and increase risk of dizziness, falls, and
fatigue or muscle cramping and soreness due to decreased oxygenation of tissues.
Hemoglobin below 8 and hematocrit below 24
Therapy should be held for sodium less than ___ and greater than ___
120
140
Therapy should be held for INR greater than __ or PTT greater than ___. This indicates excessive
risk of bleeding due to very thin blood serum
4.0
120
