Reading lab results
Blood count, smear, chemistry, liver panel, coagulation, urinalysis, CSF, and pleural, ascitic and synovial fluid.
14 pages
- Arterial blood gas: worked cases for the stationHow to read the oxygen, carbon dioxide and acidity of arterial blood one step at a time, with…
- Ascitic fluid: SAAG and infectionFluid from the belly is compared with blood to see if high liver pressure caused it, and its…
- Coagulation tests: PT/INR, aPTT, fibrinogen and D-dimerBlood tests that measure how fast blood clots help explain bleeding, check blood thinners and…
- CRP, ESR and procalcitoninThese blood tests show how much inflammation there is in the body; procalcitonin also helps tell…
- Electrolytes, urea and creatinineA routine blood panel of the main salts, bicarbonate and kidney waste products that shows fluid…
- Liver tests: hepatocellular or cholestatic?Blood tests that show whether liver cells are injured, bile flow is blocked, or the liver is…
- Pleural fluid: exudate or transudate (Light's criteria)Fluid drawn from around the lung is compared with blood to tell whether it leaked from pressure…
- Reading a full blood countA routine blood test counts the red cells, white cells and platelets and measures their size…
- Reading a urinalysisA urine sample is checked by eye, with a test strip and under the microscope, to look for…
- Reading the CSF: bacterial, viral, fungal or bleeding?The fluid around the brain is tested for cells, sugar and protein; the pattern shows whether…
- Synovial fluid: septic, crystal or inflammatory?Fluid drawn from a swollen joint is checked for cells, crystals and germs to tell infection from…
- The peripheral blood smear: what to look forA drop of blood is spread on a glass slide, stained and looked at under the microscope to see…
- Thyroid function testsA blood test of the thyroid's control hormone (TSH) and the thyroid hormones themselves shows…
- Troponin and natriuretic peptidesTroponin shows that heart muscle has been damaged; natriuretic peptides show that the heart is…
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Educational content; it does not replace supervised hands-on training, your institution's protocols or a prescriber's order. A procedure is learnt with a teacher and done only once you are trained to do it.
Representative model, for educational purposes only.