Lowest labs?

[mcknis]

The other day i walked onto my unit to find a pt with a plat count of 11,000 without any real reason. Oh I had the lowest level in the hospital I found out after talking to the lab. And this is a med surg unit. Also walked into a K of 2.7 with only 40mEq ordered PO. What? Was it questioned or was an EKG or Mag level ordered, no. The order was recieved at 0600 by the night shift nursing staff. I had to sort it out during days...argh.

So what are the lowest labs you have seen on your pts?

[SunnyAndrsn]

I had a p with a blood sugar level of 2. The lab called immediately, of course. They had drawn her, she wouldn't wake up and the lab tech didn't alert us at that point that he couldn't wake her up. My CNA went in the room to do morning cares and she was unresponsive, I got a less than 20 on the accucheck, tried to do the glucose gel squeezed into her check, still stayed low. Did glucogon IM, she came around to about 50, we then got some food in her.

Poor sweet lady, she was actually actively dying, and died two days later. She was in horrible pain the rest of the day, I ended up getting her MD to order roxanol every 30 minutes. I'd go into her room and she would ask me what I was doing--for the first have the day she told me "You think you're helping, but your not." She had been a nurse :-(

The end of the day she was comfortable, told me that she wanted to go, and I told her it was okay to go--the CNA with me just about freaked that I did that (newer CNA). The pt. looked at me and said "I've had a good life."

[Pat_Pat RN]

Potassium this last weekend, sent to the floor from the ER, 7.6. Essentially not treated. I called the doc, he said they'd talked to a cardiologist, they said he'd be ok.....okie dokie!

[DeepFriedRN]

K+ of 2, glucose of 28. And Hct of 3.8 in ER, GI bleeder who ended up having an MI. (before admission, read the report). Oh, and a troponin of 28.0. Did a double take, I thought I was reading it wrong!

[SaraO'Hara]

WBC of 1.6... once an INR of 11. The most deranged labs come from our renal patients.

[PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN]

Potassium this last weekend, sent to the floor from the ER, 7.6. Essentially not treated. I called the doc, he said they'd talked to a cardiologist, they said he'd be ok.....okie dokie!

Patient had no issues with 7.6? ...was that prudent?

[Pat_Pat RN]

He had really tall T-waves....

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Highest K+ I saw was 13 in a renal failure patient who attempted suicide via skipping dialysis and eating high potassium foods. Almost succeeded. Found unconscious. Dialysed emergently and admitted to MICU (then med/surg psych). Lived and actually got help for her depression.

[TigerGalLE, BSN, RN]

I have seen a K+ of 9. Had a dialysis patient leave AMA with hgb 5.5 last weekend. I've seen an INR > 11.6 in a GI bleeder who hadn't been monitoring her coumadin levels at home. Hgb was 4 I think. I've seen a few Hgbs in the 4.0s and the sad thing is they come from the ER to the med-surg floor and no one has started any blood. Those are fun admissions... No central line and need 4 units FFPs and who knows how many units of blood.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

I have seen a K+ of 9. Had a dialysis patient leave AMA with hgb 5.5 last weekend. I've seen an INR > 11.6 in a GI bleeder who hadn't been monitoring her coumadin levels at home. Hgb was 4 I think. I've seen a few Hgbs in the 4.0s and the sad thing is they come from the ER to the med-surg floor and no one has started any blood. Those are fun admissions... No central line and need 4 units FFPs and who knows how many units of blood.

That's ridiculous. I'd really be raising hell about that one.

[prowlingMA]

Just had a platelet count of 1,000 today.

[geekgolightly, BSN, RN]

Recently saw a lactate level of 28. He didn't live.

[MAISY, RN-ER, BSN, RN]

Had a plt count of 2 the other day-lowest hgb 3.5 walked in although winded and symptomatic-BG 21