Diagnostics Flashcards by Laura Morrissey

Why would RBC count be low?

anemia (blood loss, problem with bone marrow)

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Why would RBC count be high?

dehydration
adaptation to high altitude
adaptation to respiratory problems (COPD, smoker)

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When might WBCs be high?

infection
inflammation (response to tissue trauma)
anxiety/stress
leukemia

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When might WBCs be low?

bone marrow problem

- immunodeficiency

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What are the different types of leukocytes and what might an elevation in each indicate?

neutrophils - bacterial infection
lymphocytes - viral infection
monocytes - severe infetion, chronic infection
eosinophils - parasite, allergy
basophils - allergy, parasite

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What is a “shift to the left?”

appearance of immature cells, particularly neutrophils, called band cells
seen when production of cells is accelerated (they don’t have time to mature)
indicative of severe infection

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What might a high hematocrit indicate?

dehydration or fluid volume deficit

- anemia

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What might a high low hematocrit indicate?

fluid volume excess

- polycythemia

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What might a high level of sodium indicate?

dehydration
excessive water loss (burns)
excessive nutritional intake

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What might a low level of sodium indicate?

fluid volume overload
nutritional deficit
side effect of a diuretic
problem with kidneys

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What can happen in someone with hypernatremia?

coma
convulsions
thirst
agitation
restlessness

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What might cause a high level of potassium?

kidney disease

- potassium-sparing diuretics

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What might cause a low level of potassium?

nutritional deficit
non-potassium sparing diuretics
alcoholism

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Why is hyperkalemia dangerous?

it can cause arrhythmias

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What is BUN?

blood urea nitrogen

- urea is a byproduct of protein breakdown, it is normally filtered out by the kidneys

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What does BUN evaluate?

kidney function

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What might a high BUN indicate?

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kidney problem

What is creatinine?

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waste product made by muscles, usually filtered out by kidneys

What might a high level of creatinine mean?

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kidney problem

What is the GFR? What does it measure?

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glomerular filtration rate
a measure of how much blood is being passed through the glomeruli each minute
evaluates kidney function

What does a low GFR indicate?

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kidney damage

- dehydration (less blood to kidney d/t low blood pressure)

What is PT/INR and what does it measure?

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prothrombin time/international normalized ratio

- measures how long it takes blood to clot via the extrinsic and common pathway

What is PTT and what does it measure?

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partial thromboplastin time

- measures how long it takes blood to clot via the intrinsic pathway

When would you want INR to be elevated?

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therapeutic level for warfarin/coumadin

When would you want PTT to be elevated?

heparin therapy

What is FOBT? What does it measure?

- fecal occult blood test | - detects unseen blood in stool

When might a FOBT be positive?

- bleeding ulcer - colon cancer - inflammatory bowel disease - hemorrhoids

When might you use an X-ray (other than for orthopedics?)

- chest x-ray to visualize pneumonia

What is an ultrasound?

- high frequency sound waves used to generate a live 2D image

What is a CT?

- computerized tomography - data from several x-rays - generates 2D image "slices" of a 3D object

What is a MRI?

- magnetic resonance imaging - uses magnetic images to create image - no radiation

What is an angiogram?

- contrast medium and x-ray is used to look at vasculature

What is an ECG?

- electrocardiogram | - measures electrical activity of the heart

What is an echocardiogram?

- ultrasound of the heart | - used to visualize heart structure and function

What is routine urinalysis?

- visual inspection and chemical testing (dipstick) of urine

What is microscopic urinalysis?

- analysis of urine under microscopic

What would urinalysis (routine and microscopic) tell you about?

- infection (UTI) - kidney problems - metabolic problems (diabetes)

What is ALT? Why would you measure it and why would an elevation be significant?

- alanine aminotransferase - liver enzyme - released by liver when liver is damaged

What is AST? Why would you measure it and why would an elevation be significant?

- aspartate aminotransferase - liver enzyme - released into blood when liver is damaged

What is bilirubin? What is it's significance? Why would you measure it?

- waste product of RBC breakdown, made by liver and excreted in bile - increase indicates decrease in excretion (liver problem) or an increase in RBC breakdown

What is albumin? What is it's significance? Why would you measure it?

- plasma protein made by liver - many drugs bind to it and are then inactivated (if albumin decreased, amount of available drug will increase) - decrease can be from liver problem - increase in albumin seen with dehydration

Diagnostics Flashcards

(41 cards)