Fish Scales

[Pachinko]

That's what they call them here, at least--the little grids that you can use to do shorthand recording of lab values. One (I think) looks like a big x, and the other is longer, with hash marks.

OK, I'm doing a crappy idea of describing this, but someone more knowledgeable will know what I'm talking about. Anyone know where I can find an example of one so I know how they're used. I googled "fishscale" and "fish scale" with "labs" and came up with nothing. Thanks--

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

Are you talking about the little grid that the doctors make when they are documenting electrolytes in their progress notes? Are you wanting to know what goes into each of the little boxes of that grid?

[Pachinko]

Yes, the grids the doctors use--both of these are useful, thanks so much!

[oramar]

One thing you can say about nursing is you learn something new everyday even if you live to be 100. All those years I have been looking at those things(40), never heard them called fish scales before. Interesting....

[elcue]

oramar said:

One thing you can say about nursing is you learn something new everyday even if you live to be 100. All those years I have been looking at those things(40), never heard them called fish scales before. Interesting....

Me too! Thanks. Have a good week, everyone. Linda

[MangoGirl]

Actually, the grid or template is called a fish bone (not a fish scale). That is because the BMP (basic metabolic panel) grid looks like a fish bone:

Na+|Cl-|BUN

---|---|----

K+ |CO2|Creat

Notice how the template looks like a fish bone skeleton:

--|--|--

[DanielleDuji]

On this thread, someone said CO2 goes in the middle bottom cell, and someone else said bicarb. Which is it???

Thanks.

[MangoGirl]

Template usage is inconsistent. Below are links to variations I have found. Also attached below is a PDF file that includes fishbone templates/grids for labs. You should pick one you like and use it consistently for your own use. If there is a standard at your place of employment, you should (obviously) conform.

Complete blood count

Basic Metabolic Panel

(Grid is half-way down the page under "Reporting")

https://allnurses.com/format-handwritten-lab-values-t179574/

Lab grids templates.pdf

[mbradley]

DanielleDuji said:

On this thread, someone said CO2 goes in the middle bottom cell, and someone else said bicarb. Which is it???

Thanks.

CO2 and bicarb are interchangable. CO2 does not travel in the blood as a gas, but gets changed into bicarb in the tissues and then back to CO2 in the lungs by a reaction with H2O and the enzyme carbonic anhydrase. So when they say CO2 they are actually measuring bicarb, but the bicarb level represents the level of CO2 in the blood. So basically its 2 ways if referring to the same thing.