Know which lab values are important to know
Lab values that are stressed over and over include, arterial blood gases,blood counts,Kidney and liver function test values ,electrolyte values and the therapeutic range for prothrombin time and Partial thromboplastin time.
Know more about Arterial blood gases
These lab values are crucial when caring for a patient that has respiratory compromise. They include values for PH :7.35-7.45,PCO2 :35-45mm Hg,PO2 : 80-100 mm Hg for adults and 60-70 mm Hg for new borns, HCO3 (bicarbonate): 21- 28 and oxygen saturation which should be 90-100%.
If there is a deviation from any of the normal values,it could lead to alkalosis (increase in PH and accumulation of bicarbonate) or acidosis (decrease in PH and accumulation of carbondioxide).
KNow more about Blood counts
This is laboratory work done to determine the following amongst other things Hemoglobin(g/dl) :men 14 - 18 women 12 - 16, Hematocrit (%): men 42 - 50 women 37 - 47 ,RBC in millions : men 4.7-6.1 women 4.2-5.4, WBC : 5,000-10,000,Platelets : 150,000- 400,000.
Any deviation from hemoglobin or hematocrit could signify blood loss, hypovolemia, anemia (low for both) or dehydration (high for hematocrit), deviation from the WBC could signify infection(high) or neutropenia (low) while deviation from the platelets could signify clotting disorders (high) or risk for bleeding (low)
Know more about electrolyte values
Sodium (Na) : this is the most abundant in the extracellular fluid. Its needed for water balance,nerve transmission,acid base balance and chemical reactions. Low levels in the blood cause hyponatremia and high levels cause hypernatremia.Normal value is 135-145
Potassium:is found in abundance in the intracellular fluid and in minute amounts in the extracellular fluid. Its needed for normal cardiac functioning, nerve transmission, muscle contractions. It can also transport glucose into the cell from the blood ( good for managing blood sugar levels). Increase in urination causes an increased loss of potassium. Low levels is called hypokalemia and high level is called hyperkalemia. Normal value is 3.5-5.0
Know your clotting time values
The clotting times of an individual lets you knwo if their blood is clotting at the right rate to prevent bleeding or if they are not which puts a client at risk for bleeding. The normal prothrombin time (PT) is 11-12.5 seconds, while that of the partial thromboplastin time (PTT)is 60-70 seconds.
They are both used in monitoring anticougulation therapy. If they are to low then the blood is clotting to fast and if the are too high then the blood is taking too long to clot putting the client at risk for bleeding.
KNow blood glucose , creatinine and BUN values
The normal value for blood Glucose, fasting : (mg/dl) 70 - 110 and that of Blood Urea Nitrogen is 10-20 mg/dl while creatinine is 0.6-1.2 for men and 0.5 -1.1 for women.
When the blood sugar is low, the client is hypoglycemic and when its high the client is hyperglycemic. When the BUN is high it means the kidneys are not functioning optimally becasue end products it should be secreting are still in the body while if kidney function is abnormal, creatinine levels will increase in the blood.Creatinine levels vary with the amount of muscle mass a person has.