Lab Values Guiding Questions

Question 1

What are lab values and why are they used?

Answer 1

Lab values are objective measurements obtained by blood to provide info about a patient’s physiological status like organ function, etc.

Question 2

What does a critical value mean when discussing lab values?

Answer 2

Critical values are values that are vitally important for a patient, these are things that need to be kept an extra eye on

Question 3

Why do physical therapist reference lab values?

Answer 3

Screening risk assessment, diagnosis, and monitoring

Question 4

What makes up a basic metabolic panel

Answer 4

Sodium, chloride, potassium, bicarbonate, calcium, blood urea, nitrogen, creatinine, and glucose

Question 5

What makes up a comprehensive metabolic panel

Answer 5

Basic and liver function test

Question 6

What makes up a complete blood count

Answer 6

White and red blood cells, platelets, hemoglobin, and hematocrit

Question 7

What makes up an electrolyte panel

Answer 7

Sodium potassium chloride and calcium

Question 8

What makes up a liver function/hepatic panel? (LFT)

Answer 8

Serum albium, prealbium, bilirubin, ammonia, liver enzyme

Question 9

What makes up a lipid panel

Answer 9

Total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglyceride

Question 10

What makes up the coagulation test and assays

Answer 10

Plasma D dimer, PTT, PT, INR

Question 11

What are some cardiovascular specific labs?

Answer 11

Creatine, BNP, troponin

Question 12

What are the sodium levels?

Answer 12

• Normal: 136 - 145 mEq/L
• Critical: <120 or >160

Question 13

What are the potassium level?

Answer 13

• 3.5 - 5.0 mEq/L
• Critical: <2.5 or >6.5

Question 14

What are the chloride levels?

Answer 14

98 - 106 mEq/L
• Critical: <80 or >115

Question 15

What are the calcium levels?

Answer 15

• 9 - 10.5 mg/dL
• Critical <6 or >13

Question 16

What are the phosphate levels?

Answer 16

• Normal: 3.0 - 4.5 mg/dL)
• Critical: <1.0

Question 17

What are the magnesium levels?

Answer 17

• Normal: 1.3 - 2.1 mEq/L
• Critical: <0.5 or >3

Question 18

What are the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels?

Answer 18

• Normal: 10 - 20mg/dL
• Critical: >100

Question 19

What are the serum creatine levels?

Answer 19

• Normal: 0.5-1.2 mg/dL
• Critical: >4

Question 20

What are the bicarbonate (HCO3-) levels?

Answer 20

• Normal: 21-28 mEq/L
• Critical: <15 or >40

Question 21

What are glucose levels?

Answer 21

• Normal: 74 - 106mg/dL
• Critical: <50 or >400

Question 22

What are serum albumin levels?

Answer 22

• Normal: 3.5 - 5 g/dL
• Critical: <1.5

Question 23

What are serum prealbumin levels?

Answer 23

Normal: 15-36 mg/dL
• Critical: <10.7 severe nutritional deficiency

Question 24

What are serum bilirubin levels?

Answer 24

• Normal: 0.3 - 1.0 mg/dL
• Critical: >12

Question 25

What are ammonia levels?

Answer 25

• Normal: 10-80 ug/dL

Question 26

What are levels for white blood cells?

Answer 26

• Normal: 5,000 - 30,000 per mm3 • Critical: <2,5000 or >30,000

Question 27

What are levels for red blood cells?

Answer 27

• 4.2 - 6.1 106/uL

Question 28

What are levels for platelets?

Answer 28

• 150,000-400,000 per mm3 • Critical: <50,000 or >1 million

Question 29

What are levels for hemoglobin?

Answer 29

• Normal: 12-18 g/dL • Critical: <5 or >20

Question 30

What are levels for hematocrit?

Answer 30

• Normal: 37-52% • Critical: <15% or >60%

Question 31

What are plasma d-dimer levels?

Answer 31

• Reference range: <250 ng/mL or 0.4 mcg/mL

Question 32

What are levels for Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (PTT)?

Answer 32

• Normal: 30-40 seconds • Critical: >70 increased risk for spontaneous bleeding

Question 33

What are levels for Prothrombin Time (PT)?

Answer 33

• Normal: 11.0-12.5 seconds • High risk for bleeding into tissue: 20 (use caution and discuss with interprofessional team)

Question 34

What are levels for International Normalized Ration (INR)?

Answer 34

• Normal: 0.8-1.1 • Critical: >5.5

Question 35

What are levels for total cholesterol?

Answer 35

• Normal: <200 mg/dL

Question 36

What are levels for high-density lipoprotein?

Answer 36

• Normal: >45-55 • >60: may protect against CVD • <35 may increase risk for CVD

Question 37

What are levels for low-density lipoprotein?

Answer 37

• Optimal <100 mg/dL • Near optimal: 100-129 • Borderline high: 130-159 • High: 160-189 • Very high: >190

Question 38

What are levels for triglycerides?

Answer 38

• Normal: 35-135 mg/dL • Classification:• Desirable: <150 • Borderline high: 150-199 • High: 200-499 • Very high: >500

Question 39

What are levels for Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP)?

Answer 39

• Normal: <100pg/mL indicated no heart failure • Likely heart failure: >400

Question 40

What are levels for Creatine Kinase (CK)?

Answer 40

• Normal: 26-174 U/L • Sub-Types of CK enzyme • CK-MM - skeletal muscle• CK-MB - cardiac muscle • CK-BB - brain tissue