CHAPTER 1 Cardiovascular System^77
WHAT TO DO?
- Explain the test to the patient and that the patient will be asked to hold his or
her breath while the x-ray is taken. - Before the test, remove all jewelry, zippers, hooks, and any metal on the part
of the body being x-rayed.
Blood Chemistry
WHY IS IT GIVEN?
This provides a profile of the patient’s health, including:
- Electrolyte balance (sodium, potassium, bicarbonate, magnesium, calcium,
phosphorus). - Kidney function (BUN, creatinine).
- Liver function: (AST/ALT). (These are enzymes released when the liver is
damaged) - Diabetes: (serum glucose)
- Cholesterol level: (cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides)
- Cardiac: [creatine kinase (CK) and CK isoenzymes (these are enzymes released
if there is damage to the heart muscle), cardiac troponin levels (troponin is a
protein in cardiac and skeletal muscles), myoglobin (an early indication of a
myocardial infarction), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and LDH isoenzymes]
These are enzymes released when cardiac tissue is damaged.
HOW DOES THE TEST WORK?
Three to five milliliters of blood is sampled. Different tests require different tubes.
The abnormal results are:
- Electrolyte balance (sodium, potassium, bicarbonate, magnesium, calcium,
phosphorus) will be abnormal in fluid imbalance, acid base imbalance. - Kidney function (BUN, creatinine) will be elevated in kidney disease.
- Liver function: (AST/ALT) will be elevated in liver disease.
- Diabetes: (serum glucose) indicated when fasting glucose is above 125.