Laboratory Exam Normal Value Details and Indications

Complete Blood  RBC count (varies with altitude): A complete blood count (CBC) is
Count o Male: 4.7 to 6.1 million a series of tests used to
cells/mcL evaluate the composition and
o Female: 4.2 to 5.4 million concentration of the cellular
cells/mcL components of blood.
 WBC count: 4,500 to 10,000 cells/mcL
 Hematocrit (varies with altitude): It measures the following:
o Male: 40.7 to 50.3 %
o Female: 36.1 to 44.3 %  The number of red
 Hemoglobin (varies with altitude): blood cells (RBCs)
o Male: 13.8 to 17.2 gm/dL  The number of white
o Female: 12.1 to 15.1 gm/dL blood cells (WBCs)
 MCV: 80 to 95 femtoliter  The total amount of
 MCH: 27 to 31 pg/cell hemoglobin in the blood
 MCHC: 32 to 36 gm/dL  The fraction of the
blood composed of red
(cells/mcL = cells per microliter; gm/dL = grams blood cells (hematocrit)
per deciliter; pg/cell = picograms per cell)  The mean corpuscular
volume (MCV) — the
Note: Normal value ranges may vary slightly size of the red blood
among different laboratories. cells

High numbers of RBCs or a high

hematocrit may be due to:

 Dehydration (such as
from severe diarrhea)
 Kidney disease with high
erythropoietin
production
 Low oxygen level in the
blood:
 Polycythemia vera
 Smoking

Low numbers of RBCs or low

hematocrit indicates anemia,
which can result from:

 Autoimmune/collagen-
vascular diseases such
as lupus erythematosus
or rheumatoid arthritis
 Blood loss
 Bone marrow failure
Erythropoietin
deficiency (usually
secondary to kidney
disease)
 Hemolysis (red blood
cell destruction)
 Leukemia
 Malnutrition
 Multiple myeloma

A lower-than-normal white
blood cell count is called
leukopenia. A decreased WBC
 count may be due to:

 Autoimmune/collagen-
vascular diseases (such
as systemic lupus
erythematosus)
 Bone marrow failure
Disease of the liver or
spleen

High numbers of WBCs is called

leukocytosis. It can result from:

 Infectious diseases
 Inflammatory disease
(such as rheumatoid
arthritis or allergy)
 Leukemia
 Severe emotional or
physical stress
 Tissue damage (such as
burns)

Low hemoglobin values may

indicate:

 Anemia (various types)

 Blood loss

Fasting Blood Normal fasting blood sugar levels are below Blood glucose tests are done to:
Sugar 100.  The normal
range is between 70 to 100 mg/L (milligrams  Check for diabetes.
per decaliter).  In  Monitor treatment of
Europe, the measurement is given in milileters diabetes.
and the  Check for diabetes that
corresponding numbers are 3.5 to 5.5 mmol/L. occurs during pregnancy
(gestational diabetes).
 Determine if an
abnormally low blood
sugar level
(hypoglycemia) is
present. A test to
measure blood levels of
insulin and a protein
called C-peptide may be
done along with a blood
glucose test to
determine the cause of
hypoglycemia.

Urinalysis Calcium <7.3 mmol/day Urinalysis performs to analyze

the urine physical color and
appearance, microscopic
Chloride 110-250 mmol/day
appearance, and chemical
Creatinine 6.2-17.7 mmol/day appearance.

Urine potassium may be

Osmolality 100-1200 mOsm/kg ordered in the workup of
 hypokalemia. In case of GI loss
Potassium 25-120 mmol/day of potassium, the urine
<0.15 g/day potassium will be low. In case of
Protein
renal loss of potassium, the
25-260 mmol/day
Sodium urine potassium levels will be
high. Increased levels of
potassium are also seen in
hypoaldosteronism and adrenal
insufficiency.

The sodium levels are

frequently ordered during the
workup of acute renal failure.

The presence of nitrites in urine

indicate the presence of
coliform bacteria.

WBC in urine are a marker of

infection if present for greater
than 5 wbc per high power field.

Small amounts of protein or

Stool Gram stain A normal result means only normal or
"friendly" bacteria were seen on the stained
slide. Everyone has friendly bacteria in their
intestines.
Note: Normal value ranges may vary slightly
among different laboratories.
ketoacidosis tend to elevate
results of the specific gravity.
Specific gravity is an expression
of the weight of a substance
relative to the weight of an
equal volume of water.
A stool Gram stain is a
laboratory test that uses
different stains to detect and
identify bacteria in a stool
sample.
The Gram stain method is
sometimes used to rapidly
diagnose bacterial infections.

Stool Ova and There are no parasites or eggs in the stool Stool ova and parasites exam is
Parasites Exam sample. a laboratory test to determine if
a stool sample contains
Normal value ranges may vary slightly among parasites or eggs (ova) that are
different laboratories. associated with intestinal
infections.

Blood Urea 7 - 20 mg/dL. The blood urea nitrogen (BUN,

Nitrogen pronounced "B-U-N") test is a
Note that normal values may vary among measure of the amount of
different laboratories. nitrogen in the blood in the
form of urea, and a
measurement of renal function.
Urea is a substance secreted by
the liver, and removed from the
blood by the kidneys.

Electrocardiogra  normal sinus rhythm
m o each P wave is followed by a
QRS
o P waves normal for the subject
o P wave rate 60 - 100 bpm with
<10% variation
 rate <60 = sinus
bradycardia
 rate >100 = sinus
tachycardia
 variation >10% = sinus
arrhythmia
 normal QRS axis
 normal P waves
o height < 2.5 mm in lead II
o width < 0.11 s in lead II
 normal PR interval
o 0.12 to 0.20 s (3 - 5 small
squares)
 
 normal QRS complex
o < 0.12 s duration (3 small
squares)
o no pathological Q waves
o no evidence of left or right
ventricular hypertrophy
 normal QT interval
o Calculate the corrected QT
interval (QTc) by dividing the QT
interval by the square root of
the preceeding R - R interval.
Normal = 0.42 s.
o Causes of long QT interval
 normal ST segment
o no elevation or depression
 normal T wave
A greatly elevated BUN
(>60 mg/dL) generally indicates
a moderate-to-severe degree of
renal failure. An elevated BUN
in the setting of a relatively
normal creatinine may reflect a
physiological response to a
relative decrease of blood flow
to the kidney without indicating
any true injury to the kidney.
When the ratio of BUN to
creatinine (BUN:Cr) is greater
than 20, the patient is
suspected of having prerenal
azotemia.
A low BUN usually has little
significance, but its causes
include liver problems,
malnutrition (insufficient
dietary protein), or excessive
alcohol consumption.
The electrocardiogram (ECG or
EKG) is a diagnostic tool that
measures and records the
electrical activity of the heart in
exquisite detail. Interpretation
of these details allows diagnosis
of a wide range of heart
conditions. These conditions
can vary from minor to life
threatening.
Abnormal ECG results may be a
sign of
 Abnormal heart rhythms
(sarrhythmias)
 Cardiac muscle defect
 Congenital heart defect
Coronary artery disease
 Ectopic heartbeat
 Enlargement of the
heart
 Faster-than-normal
heart rate (tachycardia)
 Heart valve disease
 Inflammation of the
heart (myocarditis)
 Changes in the amount
of electrolytes
(chemicals in the blood)
 Past heart attack
 Present or impending
heart attack
 Slower-than-normal
heart rate (bradycardia)
  normal U wave
Blood Typing  The A antigen, type A blood. The liquid
portion of the blood (plasma) has
antibodies that fight against type B
blood.
 The B antigen, type B blood. The plasma
has antibodies that fight against type A
blood.
 Neither the A nor B antigen, type O
blood. The plasma has antibodies that
fight against both type A and type B
blood
 Both the A and B antigens, type AB
blood. The plasma does not have
antibodies against type A or type B
blood.
Blood type tests are done
before a person gets a blood
transfusion and to check a
pregnant woman's blood type.
Human blood is typed by
certain markers (called
antigens) on the surface of red
blood cells. Blood type may also
be done to see if two people are
likely to be blood relatives.