D-dimer
D-dimer specific for fibrin breakdownsensitivity = 95%specificity = 50%
Category Investigations
Platelet Function Assays
PFA-100 = citrated whole blood placed in a disposable cartridge containing a membrane coated with collagen/adrenaline or collagen/ADP into which a microscopic aperture has been cut -> with high shear rates contact of blood with the membrane causes platelets to aggregate and occlude the aperture.
Thromboelastogram (TEG)
Thromboelastography (TEG) is a viscoelastic hemostatic assay that measures the global viscoelastic properties of whole blood clot formation under low shear stress
Thrombophilia Screen
Thrombophilia is a predisposition to increased risk of venous and arterial thromboembolism due to haemostatic abnormalities
VBG versus ABG
Reviewed and revised 7 January 2016 OVERVIEW Venous blood gases (VBG) are widely used in the emergency setting in preference to arterial blood gases (ABG) as a result of research published since 2001 The weight of data suggests that venous pH…
Abdominal Ultrasound
abdominal ultrasound findings for important critical care diagnoses
Urea-Creatinine Ratio
The relationship of urea and creatine is dependent on serum laboratory units used to determine the cause of acute kidney injury.
Creatinine
Creatinine = Non-protein end product of creatinine metabolism. Formed from skeletal muscle and excreted in constant amounts. Completely filtered by kidney (marker of GFR). Production proportional to muscle mass
Urine Electrolytes
Urinary anion gap (UAG): Differentiate renal or GIT cause of HYPERchloraemic metabolic disorders; or Normal anion gap metabolic acidosis (NAGMA)
Urine Transparency
Freshly voided urine is clear and transparent. Cloudy urine may be caused by crystals, deposits, white cells, red cells, epithelial cells or fat globules. Further evaluation with centrifugation, microscopic examination, heating or with ether generally determines the cause of the turbidity.
Laboratory Urinalysis
Laboratory urine analysis
Diabetes Insipidus DDx
Cause Central (Failed ADH secretion) Nephrogenic (No response to ADH) (Failed concentrating ability) Drugs References and Links