Blood Count Case Study

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A complete blood count was done for this patient upon admission in order to give a baseline to help guide his care. The blood count was also done to show how his hematological system was affected by the trauma that he suffered in the motor vehicle accident he was in. If the patient was hemodynamically unstable, he may have needed blood transfusions to bring his blood counts up. White blood cells could help to tell is the patient has an infection in his surgical wound. The patient also underwent surgery to correct the injury to his spine, causing more blood to be lost in the process. The platelet, hemoglobin, and hematocrit counts could help to show in the future if the patient is suffering from internal bleeding after the surgery he had. Other …show more content…

The chemistry test shows the levels of electrolytes found in the blood: sodium, potassium, chloride, phosphorus, magnesium and calcium. Imbalances in these electrolytes can cause complications, which especially in the case of potassium, can be deadly. Also shown by the chemistry test, blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels can show how well the patient’s kidneys are functioning in filtering waste from the blood. Trauma and blood loss can affect how the kidney’s function not only in filtering waste, but also in acid-base balance, and balancing electrolyte levels. Another marker of kidney function is the glomerular filtration rate, which measures the rate filtrate is created by the glomerulus of the kidney (Winkelman, 2016). This is controlled by the kidneys themselves, meaning changes in the function of the kidneys can lead to an altered filtration rate (Winkelman, 2016). Lactic acid is measured by the chemistry test also, and an increase in lactic acid can signify acidosis caused by the lactic acid being formed by cells that do not have adequate oxygen to process glucose for energy (Workman, 2016). This decrease in available oxygen could be caused by damage to or impairment of the lungs. Carbon-dioxide, which is also measured by the chemistry test, can show …show more content…

The first test showed a decrease in blood pH and a major increase in the partial pressure of oxygen. The patient was placed on a ventilator during surgery on the date of admission, which could be the reason as to why his partial pressure of oxygen was increased. The patient’s blood pH was low in the first test. While it was barely in the normal range, the patient’s bicarb was close to being low as well. The patient was injured which resulted in fluid shifts that could have affected the amount of bicarbonate in the patient’s blood, resulting in a decrease in the blood’s pH. This means the patient was at risk for metabolic acidosis. The next day the patient’s blood pH had increased to a normal level and the bicarbonate level had also increased. The patent’s partial pressure of oxygen had also decreased, due to a decrease in the fraction of inspired oxygen, possibly from changes to the setting of the

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