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ANALYSIS OF URINE AND OTHER BODY FLUIDS

PHYSICAL EXAMINATION OF URINE

COLOR malabsorption
- Bleach contamination
Normal – varies from almost colorless, straw
or light yellow to dark yellow, yellow-orange, TRANSPARENCY
or amber Normal- Clear – no visible particulates,
transparent
-Variations -Colorless/pale yellow – recent Variations:
fluid consumption, polyuria, DM, DI Hazy few particulates,
print easily seen
-Amber/ bilirubin, acriflavine, through urine
orange phenazopyridine,nitrofura
ntoin, phenindione
Cloudy many particulates,
print blurred through
-Yellow-green oxidation of bilirubin to
urine
biliverdin
Turbid print cannot be seen
-Blue/green Pseudomonas infection,
through urine
amitriptyline,
methocarbamol, clorets, Milky may precipitate or
indican, methylene blue be clotted
-Pink/red intact RBCs, hemoglobin,
myoglobin, porphyrins,
beets, menstrual
contamination
-Brown/black methemoglobin,
SPECIFIC GRAVITY
homogentisic acid, Normal Values: depend on the patient’s
melanin, argyrol degree of hydration
methyldopa,
levodopa,metronidazole Methods
A. Urinometry
ODOR 1) Urinometer/Hydrometer - weighted
float that is designed to sink to a level of 1.000
Normal – faint aromatic due to volatile acids; in distilled water; calibrated at 20°C; less
becomes ammoniacal as the specimen stands accurate than other methods; requires large
volume of urine
Variations: 2) Corrections
 Temperature – for every 3°C that
-Ammoniacal UTI the urine temperature is above or
(freshly voided) below the calibration temperature,
-Rancid Tyrosinuria 0.001 is respectively added to or
-Maple syrup/ MSUD subtracted from the reading
caramel-like  Protein – subtract 0.003 for
-Sulfur odor Cystine disorders every g/dL; Glucose – subtract 0.004
-Fruity/ sweet Diabetes ketoacidosis for every g/dL
-Mercaptan asparagus, garlic, and B. Refractometry
eggs
-Mousy PKU 1) Refractometer/ TS meter - measures
- Sweaty feet Isovaleric acidemia refractive index; compensated between 15°C
-Rotting fish Trimethyl aminuria and 38°C
-Fecaloid Recto-vesicular fistula
-Cabbage/ hops methionine

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ANALYSIS OF URINE AND OTHER BODY FLUIDS
PHYSICAL EXAMINATION OF URINE

2) Corrections: protein and glucose only; tumors

temperature correction not done
Anuria/Anuresis severe acute
– total suppression nephritis, Hg
NOTE:The refractometer is calibrated using of urine production
1. distilled water that should read 1.000.
poisoning,
obstructive
2. 5% NaCl, should read- 1.022 ± 0.001
uropathy, kidney
3. 9% sucrose that should read 1.034 ± failure
0.001. Nocturia – DM, DI
excretion of more than
500 mL urine at night
Diuresis transitory increase
in urine volume

-FIN

C. Harmonic Oscillation Densitometry

1) Mass gravity meter – used by Yellow IRIS

automated workstations to measure specific
gravity

2) Principle: Sound waves of specific

frequency are generated at one end of the
tube and as the sound waves oscillate
through urine, their frequency is altered by the
density of the specimen

VOLUME

Average daily output: 1,200-1,500 mL

Varitations:
Clinical
significance:

Polyuria- Diabetes mellitus,

abnormal increase Diabetes insipidus
in urine output
Oliguria - Dehydration, renal
abnormal decrease insufficiency,
in urine output poorly
compensated
heart disease,
calculi
formation, kidney

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