What test to order?
The patient is scheduled to receive a blood transfusion. What lab results value should be known before the nurse transfuses the patient?
What is group and screen (blood type) and CBC (to measure hemoglobin result)?
What is the normal range for Sodium?
What is 135-145 mEq/L?
Yes. You must report all critical lab values to the physician, even if electrolyte orders are in place.
This count includes basophils, neutrophiles, and eosinophils.
What is a white blood cell differential count?
The term used when cholesterol levels are >200mg/dL ?
What is hypercholesteremia?
The RN is caring for a patient with hematuria and complains of dysuria. What lab test will likely be ordered for this client?
What is urinalysis and urine culture and sensitivity?
Greater than >11,000 of this lab value may indicate your patient is developing an infection.
What is White Blood Cell Count?
Your patients hemoglobin is 96. Do you call the doctor?
No. (Normal range is 115-160. However, we only transfuse under 70 (limited blood supply) or if it rapidly drops from baseline.
Your patient has been vomiting for the last 24 hours. The ECG is showing inverted T waves. What may this be caused by?
What is hypokalemia?
What condition is indicative of a CK value in the triple digits or higher and Troponin-T level in the double digits or higher?
What is a myocardial infarction?
The RN is caring for a client who has vomiting and diarrhea that has lasted 48 hours. He is complaining of dizziness and leg cramps. Which lab tests will the RN anticipate being ordered for this client?
The nurse draws blood to measure the patient's electrolytes. The following values come back.
Sodium 136.
Potassium 3.2
Chloride 104
Which value is abnormal and requires further intervention?
What is the potassium level (low)?
Your patients hematocrit is 42%. Do you call the doctor?
No, this is within normal range (0.34-0.48)
A patient is started on perindopril for hypertension. The nurse draw blood and notices an electrolyte imbalance. Which electroltye level is most likely to be abnormal?
What is hyperkalemia?
The term used when the platelet count is < 150,000, placing the patient at a high risk of bleeding.
What is thrombocytopenia?
A patient is started on Warfarin for an aortic valve replacement. What laboratory value will the nurse monitor to evaluate the effectiveness of this drug?
What is the INR?
What is the normal range for thromboctyes?
What is 150,000- 400,000/mm3?
The patient is on warfarin for a prosthetic heart valve. The INR comes back at 3.4. Do you call the doctor?
No. A therapeutic INR for a mechanical valve is 2.5-3.5.
The nurse is taking care of a pregnant patient with pre-eclampsia. The doctor stars the patient on magnesium sulfate to prevent seizures. Her respiratory rate drops to 8 and she has a loss of deep tendon reflexes. This is indicative of what electrolyte imbalance?
What is hypermagensia?
The term used when the white blood cell count is <5,000, placing the patient at risk of infection?
What is leukocytopenia?
The neurosurgery team is worried the post-operative pituitary removal patient has gone into diabetes insipidus. What lab tests will be ordered to help diagnose this condition?
What is serum electrolytes and osmolality and urine electrolytes and osmolality?
What is the normal range for PTT?
What is 25- 35 seconds?
Your patient has chronic kidney failure. There creatinine on admission is 140 umol/L. You re-take their creatinine and it comes back at 204 umol/L. Do you call the doctor?
Yes. This is a critically high creatinine, and the patient may require dialysis and/or IV fluids
An ECG is completed on a patient and shows that they are in Torsade de pointes. What electrolyte imbalance may have caused this?
What is hypomagnesaemia, causing a prolonged QT interval?
The name of the condition where the patient has a high red blood cell count, may be caused by smoking, COPD, or high altitude?
What is polycythemia?