Urinalysis Flashcards
What equipment is needed?
Gloves Apron Urine dipstick Urine sample Paper towels
Inspection
Colour
Clarity
Normal colour of urine
straw
Dark concentrated urine suggests…
dehydration
red urine
haematuria, rifampicin, porphyria, beetroot
Brown urine
anti-malarials, bile pigments, myoglobin
Cloudy urine
Infection (UTI)
Frothy urine
nephrotic syndrome
Describe procedure (9)
- Check urine dipsticks’ expiry date
- Remove a testing strip from the container
- Insert test strip into urine sample (ensuring all test zones are immersed)
- Remove the strip, ensuring to tap off residual urine before removing from the sample bottle
- Ensure test strip remains in a horizontal orientation (to avoid cross contamination of testing zones)
- Use the dipstick analysis guide on the side of the testing strip container to interpret the findings
- Different tests on the strip are required to be read at different times, so ensure you interpret the appropriate test at the correct time interval – e.g. 60 seconds for protein
- Once you have interpreted all of the tests, discard the strip into the clinical waste bin along with your gloves and apron
- Wash hands
Suggestion for further examination
If raised WCC > send urine for culture
Raised glucose > check blood glucose levels
Specific gravity
indicates how much solute is dissolved in urine (decreased in DI)
protein in urine suggests…
nephrotic syndrome
Leukocyte esterase
enzyme produced by neutrophils (WCC in urine) – ↑ in UTI
Nitrites in urine
breakdown products caused by Gram -ve organisms – Gram -ve UTI e.g. Ecoli
Ketones in urine
breakdown product of fatty acid metabolism – ↑ starvation / ↑DKA
