What would lab values be for an MI?

Nursing Students Student Assist

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Specializes in med/surg/tele/neuro/rehab/corrections.

If a person is having a heart attack would it show up in lab values?

I was thinking maybe platelets would be off? not sure. hmmmm I'm still in my first semester of school.

Tomorrow I have to pretend I'm having chest pains and my partner has to assess me so I thought I would provide some lab values (to give a clue as to my condition) but I don't know what.

I"m thinking chest pain should pretty much say what's going on but I would like to provide other evidence. :monkeydance:

Plus now I am really curious. My dad had three heart attacks.

Thanks for any info. Gosh I"m curious now. :)

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Specializes in Med-Surg, ICU.

Your troponin I may be elevated (I've seen as high as into the 100s), CK and CK-MBs would be high. Of course you may have some EKG changes such as ST elevation or bundle branch block.

Having an MI wouldn't affect your platelets tho.

Hope this helps a little...

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Specializes in med/surg/tele/neuro/rehab/corrections.

Thanks for the reply! I googled troponin and got a lot of good info! Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. ;)

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

Your should describe your chest pain as burning, squeezing or as a crushing sensation over the front of your chest. It can radiate to your left arm, neck, jaw or shoulder. You can also say that you just just did some physical exertion, had an emotional shock or a large meal. That you took nitroglycerine and the pain did not subside. Rest does not reduce the pain of an MI. Labwork will show elevated CK and CK-MB isoenzymes, troponins T and I and myoglobin. An EKG may show ischemia. The type of changes in the EKG will indicate the location of the MI in the heart.

Unless the goal is to present the signs and symptoms of a heart attack, you could also bring up the fact that chest pain can also be the result of other problems such as pleuresy, pulmonary embolism, costochondritis or muscle strain.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

D-dimer might be positive, CK-MB will be elevated while total CPK is normal, troponin elevated, WBC might be slightly elevated due to stress reaction.

Have fun.

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Specializes in med/surg/tele/neuro/rehab/corrections.

Thanks guys! We did our lab today where I pretended to have chest pain and of course my partner immediately knew it was an MI LOL Well she didn't know what the lab values would be so I pionted them all out. We were in there forever writing up our care plans! I had to stay until almost 4 and my partner was still there when I left!

Thanks for all the knowledge guys! This is a subject that really interests me because of personal experiences.

Hahah trauma what a funny avatar! :)

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