[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Clinical skills](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/) › Reading lab results

# 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 station** How to read the oxygen, carbon dioxide and acidity of arterial blood one step at a time, with…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/arterial-blood-gas-worked-cases-for-the-station/)
- [**Ascitic fluid: SAAG and infection** Fluid from the belly is compared with blood to see if high liver pressure caused it, and its…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/ascitic-fluid-saag-and-infection/)
- [**Coagulation tests: PT/INR, aPTT, fibrinogen and D-dimer** Blood tests that measure how fast blood clots help explain bleeding, check blood thinners and…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/coagulation-tests-pt-inr-aptt-fibrinogen-and-d-dimer/)
- [**CRP, ESR and procalcitonin** These blood tests show how much inflammation there is in the body; procalcitonin also helps tell…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/crp-esr-and-procalcitonin/)
- [**Electrolytes, urea and creatinine** A routine blood panel of the main salts, bicarbonate and kidney waste products that shows fluid…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/electrolytes-urea-and-creatinine/)
- [**Liver tests: hepatocellular or cholestatic?** Blood tests that show whether liver cells are injured, bile flow is blocked, or the liver is…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/liver-tests-hepatocellular-or-cholestatic/)
- [**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…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/pleural-fluid-exudate-or-transudate/)
- [**Reading a full blood count** A routine blood test counts the red cells, white cells and platelets and measures their size…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/reading-a-full-blood-count/)
- [**Reading a urinalysis** A urine sample is checked by eye, with a test strip and under the microscope, to look for…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/reading-a-urinalysis/)
- [**Reading the CSF: bacterial, viral, fungal or bleeding?** The fluid around the brain is tested for cells, sugar and protein; the pattern shows whether…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/reading-the-csf-bacterial-viral-fungal-or-bleeding/)
- [**Synovial fluid: septic, crystal or inflammatory?** Fluid drawn from a swollen joint is checked for cells, crystals and germs to tell infection from…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/synovial-fluid-septic-crystal-or-inflammatory/)
- [**The peripheral blood smear: what to look for** A drop of blood is spread on a glass slide, stained and looked at under the microscope to see…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/the-peripheral-blood-smear-what-to-look-for/)
- [**Thyroid function tests** A blood test of the thyroid's control hormone (TSH) and the thyroid hormones themselves shows…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/thyroid-function-tests/)
- [**Troponin and natriuretic peptides** Troponin shows that heart muscle has been damaged; natriuretic peptides show that the heart is…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/troponin-and-natriuretic-peptides/)

## A to Z

- [A](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/a/)
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- [C](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/c/)
- [D](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/d/)
- [E](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/e/)
- [F](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/f/)
- [H](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/h/)
- [I](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/i/)
- [L](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/l/)
- [N](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/n/)
- [O](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/o/)
- [P](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/p/)
- [R](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/r/)
- [S](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/s/)
- [T](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/t/)
- [U](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/u/)
- [V](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/a-z/v/)

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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.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/areas/labs/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/clinical-skills/areas/labs/