Wildest lab values you've ever seen?

Nurses General Nursing

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I was just wondering what's the most off the chart lab values (true values, not lab screw ups) that you'd encountered where the patient lived to discharge? I've seen:

Hgb 2.8 -- we just about emptied the blood bank.

PTT > 240

PT > 120

INR > 10

Many, many years ago I had a pt with a Triglyceride level >1000. Pt came in to the ER and had an elevated glucose on a finger stick, malaise and abdominal pain. When I drew the patients blood I couldn't believe what I saw....it was white with a small amount of blood streaks. She was sent to ICU so I don't know the outcome (I suspect it wasn't good) but in all my years I have never seen anything like that.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Ortho.
And the kidneys survived?

She was voiding with no problems during this lab result, and I re-drew the

trough to make sure it was correct. I'm not sure of the final outcome, never saw her again.

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Specializes in Telemetry/Med-Surg.

INR of 48

K+ 1.7

HGB 5

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When I worked in oncology, crazy labs were the norm. Not a whole lot surprised me.

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I'm a CMA at a Hem/Onc. clinic. We occasionallt see plt

Transfusion time!

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, CRRT,.

Glucose 2300. Patient came to us from ER, with orders for IV insulin per protocol..ER started at 1 unit/hr!!! Needless to say on admission we started the correct infusion..but his SATs were in the 70s on 100% non rebreather, blood pressure 60-70 systolic, lungs were full of fluid, stat intubation. Oh yeah..he was a CHF patient and the doc came in and decided that he needed fluid resusitation to correct BP instead of a Levo drip. I argued but to no avail, doc took it upon himself to run 2 liters into this man, over about an hour...yeah you guessed it..patient literally drowned. Died about an hour after i left.

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Specializes in Home Health.

During telephone report on a hip fx from ER, pt had an H&H of 3 & 13. Obviously, I refused the pt and suggested that maybe this pt should be in ICU instead.

On a different pt, BNP >40,000. Upon redrawing, BNP was closer to 2000. Somebody somewhere had a minor SNAFU.

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Specializes in ICU/ER.

pH 6.91, pao2 89 pco2 12, bicarb 5, base deficit -13

iv drug user with sepsis and vegatative endocarditis, 32, died within 24 hrs admission

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Specializes in Post Anesthesia.
blood glucose 2,217

Is that even possible??? I would think your blood (or at least your urine)would crystalize like rock candy!

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Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

Glucose of one.

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Specializes in MICU, neuro, orthotrauma.
Many, many years ago I had a pt with a Triglyceride level >1000. Pt came in to the ER and had an elevated glucose on a finger stick, malaise and abdominal pain. When I drew the patients blood I couldn't believe what I saw....it was white with a small amount of blood streaks. She was sent to ICU so I don't know the outcome (I suspect it wasn't good) but in all my years I have never seen anything like that.

Holy Moly! What could cause that I wonder?

We had a patient last year came in and we set him up with cool guard for MI with down time. His lactate was 21 and his pH was 6.6. Of course he didn't survive. In fact, when he came in to our unit from ED, he was tubed, eyes fixed, but still pumping. We thought that maybe the NMB was still in his system from the intubation, but that never changed the whole time we had him"alive." (family withdrew three days later).

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Specializes in MICU, neuro, orthotrauma.
Many, many years ago I had a pt with a Triglyceride level >1000. Pt came in to the ER and had an elevated glucose on a finger stick, malaise and abdominal pain. When I drew the patients blood I couldn't believe what I saw....it was white with a small amount of blood streaks. She was sent to ICU so I don't know the outcome (I suspect it wasn't good) but in all my years I have never seen anything like that.

Holy Moly! What could cause that I wonder?

We had a patient last year came in and we set him up with cool guard for MI with down time. His lactate was 21 and his pH was 6.6. Of course he didn't survive. In fact, when he came in to our unit from ED, he was tubed, limp, eyes fixed, but still pumping. We thought that maybe the NMB was still in his system from the intubation, but that never changed the whole time we had him"alive." (family withdrew three days later).

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