Labs & Values (As per Jarrod) Flashcards
What can cause a high RBC count?
Polycythemia
May be due to high altitude or COPD
Normal RBC value?
Men: 4.2 – 5.6 million
Women: 3.8 – 5.1 million
What can cause a low RBC count?
Aplastic anemia, abnormal suppression (like from antiretroviral drugs or chemotherapy), problems with the bone marrow.
What can cause a high WCB count?
- Infection
- Leukemia
- Steroids
What can cause a low WBC count?
- Immune Deficiency
- Viral Infections
What is a normal WBC count?
3.8 – 11 Thousand
The same for men and women
What can cause high Hemoglobin?
Any condition or environment in which your body requires an increased oxygen-carrying capacity. A common cause is smoking.
What can cause low Hemoglobin?
- Anemia
- Blood Loss
- Overhydration
What can cause a high Hematocrit?
- Dehydration
- Polycythemia
What can cause a low Hematocrit?
- Overhydration
- Anemia
- Blood Loss
Normal Hematocrit value?
Men: 39 – 54%
Women: 34 –47%
What can cause a high bands lab value?
Bacterial Infection
What can cause low bands lab value?
- Typhoid
- Tularemia
What does ‘bands’ refer to in blood work?
Bands are an immature form of neutrophils essential for fighting disease and so produced in excess during an infection.
What can cause a high Segs lab value?
- Bacterial Infection
- Severe Stress
What can cause a low Segs lab value?
- Typhoid
- Tularemia
- Brucellosis
- Cancer
- Bone Marrow ⇓
What can cause a high Eosinophils lab value?
- Leukemia
- Parasite Infection
What can cause a low Eosinophils lab value?
Corticosteroid Therapy
What are Eosinophils?
A type of WBC mainly seen when fighting a parasitic infection, in an allergic reaction, or when diagnosed with leukemia.
What can cause a high Basophils lab value?
Leukemia
What can cause a low Basophils lab value?
- Allergic Reaction
- Corticosteroid Therapy
What are Basophiles?
WCBs that release histamine during an allergic reaction or asthma attack. Also act as “immune surveillance” with some ability to detect and destroy early cancer cells.
What can cause a high Lymphocytes lab value?
- Viral Infection
- Leukemia
What can cause a low Lymphocytes lab value?
- HIV/AIDS
- Autoimmune Disease
What are Lymphocytes?
Natural killer cells, T cells, and B cells
What can cause a high Monocytes lab value?
- Tuberculosis
- Protozoan
- Infection
- Leukemia
What can cause low Monocytes lab value?
- Overwhelming Infection
- Glucocorticoids
What are monocytes?
The largest type of WBC that can differentiate into macrophages and conventional dendritic cells.
What is a normal Sodium lab value?
135 – 145 mEq/L
What can cause a high Sodium lab value?
- Dehydration
- ⇑NS Administration
- Blood Transfusion
- ⇓ Renal Function
What can cause a low Sodium lab value?
Overhydration, Sodium Loss, Vomiting, Diarrhea, Sweating, Diuretics, DKA, Renal Disease
What is a normal Potassium lab value?
3.5 – 5.0 mEq/L
What can cause a high Potassium lab value?
- Renal Failure
- Metabolic Acidosis
- Massive Tissue Damage
- High intake
What can cause a low Potassium lab value?
- Diuretics
- Metabolic Alkalosis
- Large Steroid Dose
- ⇓ Dietary Intake
What can cause a high Chloride lab value?
- ⇑ Na Level
- Renal Failure
- ⇓ HCO3 Levels
What can cause a low Chloride lab value?
- Diuretics
- Vomiting, Diarrhea
- Gastric Suctioning
What is a normal HC03 (bicarb) arterial value? Venous?
22 – 26 mEq/L Arterial
22 - 29 mEq/L Venous
What can cause a high HCO3 (bicarb) value?
- Base Excess
- Metabolic Alkalosis
- Diuretic Use
- Vomiting
What can cause a low HCO3 (bicarb) value?
- Base Deficit
- Metabolic Acidosis
- ⇑ in Cl Level (reaction depletes bicarb
What is a normal PaCO2 value?
35-45 mmHg
What causes a high PaCO2 value?
Respiratory Acidosis or compensation for Metabolic Alkalosis.
What causes a low PaCO2 value?
Respiratory Alkalosis or compensation for Metabolic Acidosis.
What is a normal Magnesium lab value?
1.4 – 1.9 mEq/L
What can cause high Magnesium?
- Dialysis
- Adrenal Insufficiency
- Magnesium Ingestion
What can cause low Magnesium?
- Alcoholism
- Hypercalcemia
- DKA
- Vomiting, Diarrhea
What is a normal Calcium lab value?
8.5 – 11 mg/dL
What can cause high calcium?
- Falsely high with dehydration
- Hyperparathyroidism
- Malignant Tumor
- Immobilization
- Thiazide Diuretics
- Vitamin D Intoxication
What can cause low calcium?
- Hypoparathyroidism
- Renal Disease
- Pancreatitis
- Blood Transfusions
- Malnutrition
What can cause high Phosphate?
- Hyperparathyroidism
- Renal Failure
- ⇑ Growth Hormone
- Vitamin D Intoxication
What can cause low Phosphate?
- Diuresis
- Carbohydrate Loading
- Malnutrition
- Antacid Abuse
What is a normal pH arterial value? Venous?
- 35 - 7.45 Arterial
7. 31 - 7.41 Venous
What is a normal PaO2 arterial value? Venous?
85 - 100 mmHg Arterial
30 - 40 mmHg Venous
What is a normal base excess (BE) arterial lab value?
-2 to +2 mmol/L
What does BE stand for in labs?
Base excess. It’s the mmol/L of base that needs to be removed to bring the pH back to normal when PaCO2 is corrected to 40 mmHg.
What is a high BMP (B-natriuretic peptide) indicative of?
Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
A value over 300 indicates mild CHF, over 600 is moderate, and over 900 is considered severe.
What can cause high ammonia?
Liver Cirrhosis/Failure
What can cause a high Amylase?
Acute Pancreatitis
What can cause a high Bilirubin?
Liver damage or Disease
What can cause a high BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen)?
In general, it indicates kidney disfunction. May be due to dehydration or urinary tract obstruction.
What can cause high creatinine?
Impaired kidney function or Kidney disease
What causes high lactate?
Strenuous exercise or disease processes such as heart failure, sepsis, or shock that lower blood flow causing tissue hypoxia and anaerobic metabolism.
What is a normal Ejection Fraction?
60 - 75%
What is an Ejection Fraction?
The ratio between stroke volume and end diastolic volume. In other words, the fraction of blood pumped out of the left ventricle per beat from the total volume of blood available within it.
What is Hematocrit?
The ratio of RBCs to whole blood volume.
