Two very different labs on calcium which to choose?

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Specializes in Hem/Onc/BMT.

So you know doing my studying thing and I am beginning to think that my eyes are decieving me for I am using Saunders 4th edition ( which is great for content and love the rationales) and Kaplan complete for the questions.

Calcium in Saunders is 8.6- 10.0 and in kaplan it is 4.5 -5.2 NOW I know one of them has to be a typo but which on I am inclined to believe that it is saunders. And it is not just in the online video but the book and in the rationales so how can that be soo wrong?

REALLY DON'T NEED THIS CONFUSION at this point

Any thoughts ??

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Specializes in MEDICAL, SURGICAL, OB-GYNE, SCRUB NURSE.

Maybe, you should check the units being used. Maybe the other one is in mg/dL and the other one is in mEq/L:D and please inform me if so.

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Specializes in Hem/Onc/BMT.
Maybe, you should check the units being used. Maybe the other one is in mg/dL and the other one is in mEq/L:D and please inform me if so.

Aha you are great sooo very right I never thought of that never seen it in mEq/L before :yeah::yeah::yeah::yeah:

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Specializes in Ortho/neuro rehab, dialysis.

Saunders is giving you serum Ca and Kaplan is giving you Ionized Ca. There are two ways to measure Ca. Ionized Ca is the free Ca in your blood that is not attached to proteins. This Ca is free for use by your body cells.

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Specializes in oncology, transplant, OB.

I worried about the same thing. To be honest, it seems like every topic I worried about I wasn't tested on; I guess the day I took the nclex was just my lucky day. I really did like Kaplan, but for the Ca lab value I went by Saunders, just because that's the value we learned in school. Good luck!

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Saunders is giving you serum Ca and Kaplan is giving you Ionized Ca. There are two ways to measure Ca. Ionized Ca is the free Ca in your blood that is not attached to proteins. This Ca is free for use by your body cells.

I think this one is an issue of units rather than Ca vs iCa. When I check an ionized calcium at work (with neonates anyway) the result is around 1 (I think the reference range is 1.03-1.23 mmol/L) and I don't think a normal iCa would be 4.5-5.2 in any unit.

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As mentioned above, always look at the units that are being measured before comparing anything.

Also be aware that the exam is not going to be asking you for the specific results, but what you are going to be doing with a patient that has such and such a result and the steps that you are going to follow. And usually it is not going to be just one thing.

Best of luck on your exam.

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Specializes in Ortho/neuro rehab, dialysis.

You are right, you need to know what they are asking and the unit of measurement they are using.

Eric, the normal ICA for an adult is around 4.4-5.3 mg/dl. I don't know how many places use that unit of measurement, I know we don't where I work but I thought that Kaplan may be referring to it. Oh well doesn't matter anyway, like Suzanne says they don't ask about specific results but what is going to be happening with the patient.

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I would tell you not to worry about that but I took mine this morning and when it came to labs you would think they would make them way off but in your ABCD you have it narrowed down to say A and B (C and D are just stupid) but the prob is A and B are only one too high or too low... lol I know what I'm trying to say, hope that makes sense

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hey

i know it may be confused..i posted similar email few weeks ago and tought i am crazy but i see there are some people who think like me.

another example of differents: Kaplan says about Lithium toxicity 1.5. Over it the patient is dead. Well, according to Drexel and maybe other books patirnt will be fine until 2.0!!

go and figure..

by the way i had nclex today. Nighmare.

wish you all the best

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