Description
The purpose of this book is to help nurses, midwives and health professionals to better understand how the work of clinical laboratories contributes to patient care. It answers the following questions:
- Why is this test being ordered on my patient?
- What sort of sample is required?
- How is that sample obtained?
And most importantly:
- What is the significance of the test result for my patient?
Retaining its accessible and user-friendly style, the aim of this book remains the same: to provide nurses with as much relevant information as possible about the most commonly requested laboratory rests. This is not a book about laboratory technique - its focus is on the clinical significance of test results, and therefore the patient. The third edition is more comprehensive in terms of the number of tests discussed, incorporates colour to aid the accessibility, and includes more paediatric content.
Table of Contents
Preface vii
Acknowledgements viii
Part 1 Introduction 1
1 Introduction to Clinical Laboratories 3
2 Some Principles of Laboratory Testing 13
Part 2 Clinical Biochemistry Tests 31
3 Blood Glucose and HbA1c 33
4 Plasma/Serum Sodium and Potassium 54
5 Plasma/Serum Urea and Creatinine; and e-GFR 75
6 Plasma/Serum Calcium and Phosphate 90
7 Arterial Blood Gases 108
8 Plasma/Serum Cholesterol and Triglycerides 134
9 Cardiac Markers – Troponin, Creatine Kinase (MB) and Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) 148
10 Tests of Thyroid Function – Thyroxine (T4), Triiodothyronine (T3) and Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) 160
11 Liver Function Tests: Alanine Transferase (ALT), Gamma Glutamyl Transferase (GGT), Alkaline Phosphatase (AP), Bilirubin and Albumin 176
12 Plasma/Serum Amylase 196
13 Drug Overdose: Paracetamol and Salicylate 205
14 Therapeutic Drug Monitoring: Lithium, Digoxin and Theophylline 215
Part 3 Haematology Tests 225
15 Full Blood Count – 1: Red Blood Cell Count, Haemoglobin and Other Red Cell Indices 227
16 Full Blood Count – 2: White Cell Count and Differential 243
17 Tests of Haemostasis: Platelet Count, Prothrombin Time (PT), Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (APPT), Thrombin Time (TT) and D-dimer 255
18 Laboratory Investigation of Anaemia: Serum Iron, Total Iron Binding Capacity, Serum Ferritin, Serum B12 and Folate 274
19 Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) and Plasma C-Reactive Protein (CRP) 290
Part 4 Blood Transfusion Testing 299
20 Blood Group, Antibody Screen and Crossmatch 301
Part 5 Microbiology Testing 323
21 Urine Microscopy, Culture and Sensitivity (M,C&S) 325
22 Blood Culture 339
Part 6 Screening Tests 353
23 Newborn Screening Blood Tests 355
24 Cervical Screening Test 370
25 Dipstick Testing of Urine 384
Glossary of Some Terms used in Laboratory Medicine 395
Abbreviations 400
Appendix: Adult Reference Ranges 402
Alphabetical Index of Tests 405
Index 407
