SublimeRN

NeoPedi-thanks so much... So you check the fibrinogen pt, ptt to rule out HTN versus Pre-eclampsia? What exactly do ketones show? What exactly is BUn and creatinine checking for? Can you just go in more depth on it..I know its for kidney function LFT's are checked to rule of HELP correct? its not something that is checked for Pre-eclampsia? Can you explain in more depth what LFT's are? Meaning what does ALT test for? AST? Alk Phos? Sometimes when I am giving report to the doc I tell him/her all the values and they interrupt me to tell me to jsut give them the important stuff..so what is the MOST important values for Pre-eclampsia, HELP, DIC, etc? Also, can you explain metabolic/resp acidosis and alkalosis in relation to the baby's health? What worse? What does it mean physiologically? THANKS SO MUCH!!!!

Hello all. I have been a frequent flyer on this forum for a few yrs but have been sort of a ghost reader. However, I have made an account finally and have decided to start posting :) Anyway, I have been a labor Nurse for a few years. I feel like starting off I got an OK orientation but that for the most part I was thrown in and learned as I went. I am at a point where I feel like I am pretty confident in my skills overall. The one thing that does bother me though is that I don't feel like I have a really good understanding of various lab values during pregnancy/labor and what each mean. I never really had someone sit down and go through it all with me and I have yet to find a book or website that has lab value information specific to Pregnancy. I can easily look up the normal and abnormal ranges in pregnancy but I guess what I lack knowledge in is the physiology behind them. Even when it comes to doing a Urinalysis, what things should i be looking for? what means what? I am posting on here because I have spoken up and asked some fellow labor nurses in the past about this topic and I usually just get the "well you should know already". So I just stopped asking questions because even though I know they do not know everthing either, I don't want to look incompetent. I have worked in a lot of teaching facilities wherein I was just told right off the bat what to do by the doctors and residents and never really got a chance to do the critical thinking. I now work in a facility where i am a lot more independent and I can use my skills and actually recommend what should be done before the doctor even says anything. So I am at a point now where I just want to know more in depth what everything means when i am looking at a lab report. Anyway, if anyone is willing to help me out I'd really appreciate it. Even like a one on one chat with me just to do a quick overview of different labs and what they mean in relation to pregnancy and diseases of pregnancy (i.e. Help syndrome, PIH labs, DIC, what to look for on a urinalysis, etc) would be great. I think I have an ok understanding of things but I know that there is a lot I do not know...Thanks