Scribd
Upload
772 views2 pages

Lab Values Tips and Tricks

This document provides tips and tricks for remembering common lab value ranges. It includes: 1) Associations to help remember electrolyte ranges, such as potassium levels sounding like buying bananas and calcium levels relating to calling 911. 2) Mnemonic devices for renal function tests, where BUN levels sound like spending on hamburger buns and creatinine levels relate to rating creatures on a scale. 3) Comparisons to help recall CBC components, such as relating WBC counts to tenths and RBC ranges committing to memory, in addition to relating hemoglobin and hematocrit values through multiplication.

Uploaded by

Eliezer Nuenay
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
772 views2 pages

Lab Values Tips and Tricks

This document provides tips and tricks for remembering common lab value ranges. It includes: 1) Associations to help remember electrolyte ranges, such as potassium levels sounding like buying bananas and calcium levels relating to calling 911. 2) Mnemonic devices for renal function tests, where BUN levels sound like spending on hamburger buns and creatinine levels relate to rating creatures on a scale. 3) Comparisons to help recall CBC components, such as relating WBC counts to tenths and RBC ranges committing to memory, in addition to relating hemoglobin and hematocrit values through multiplication.

Uploaded by

Eliezer Nuenay
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Lab Values Tips and Tricks

Electrolytes
Potassium: 3.5-5.0 mEq/L Calcium: 9-11 mg/dL Chloride: 98-106 mEq/L
Chloride kind of sounds like
You buy 3-5 bananas at a time. Call 911; 9-11. chlorine. Chlorine is in a swimming
pool- The best time to go
swimming is when its 98-106
degrees F outside.

Sodium 135-145 Magnesium: 1.3-2.1 Phosphorus: 3.0-4.5

Commit to memory! Almost looks like 1,2,3 just switch Commit to memory!
the 3 & 2 and add a 1 at the end.

Renal Function
BUN: 10- 20 Creatinine: 0.5-1.2

When you buy hamburger buns you Kind of sounds like creature, how would you rate an
would normally spend $10-$20, but ugly creature on a scale of 1-10? 0.5-
never more than $20. 1.2 they never make it past 2 on the
scale. (when a patient has a
creatinine level of 2 or more its too
high)

CBC
WBC: 5,000 – 10,000 RBC: Females: 4.2 to 5.4 million/uL
Males: 4.7 to 6.1 million/uL
Think of it as five tenths.
5 & 10 or 5-10 Commit to memory!

Hemoglobin: Males: 14-18 g/dL Hematocrit: Females: 37% to 47%


Females: 12 -16 g/dL Males: 42% to 52%
Females mature before
males at around age 12-16. Hematocrit is 3 times larger than hemoglobin.
Males mature later at 14-18. Females: 12x3=36 16x3=48
Males: 14x 3= 42 18x3= 54
(Numbers come close to the values)

You might also like