Patient Assessment & Clinical Evaluation Flashcards
7 cards from real CLT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Patient Assessment & Clinical Evaluation flashcards as text
A random urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) of 210 mg/g is obtained from a diabetic patient. This result indicates:
Answer: Moderately increased albuminuria (microalbuminuria)
A UACR of 30–300 mg/g is classified as moderately increased albuminuria (formerly microalbuminuria), signaling early diabetic nephropathy.
A patient with known liver cirrhosis has an albumin of 2.1 g/dL and PT INR of 2.4. These findings together most reflect:
Answer: Impaired hepatic synthetic function
The liver synthesizes albumin and clotting factors; low albumin with a prolonged PT in a cirrhotic patient reflects failed hepatic synthesis.
A sickle cell patient presents with acute pain crisis. Which CBC finding would MOST prompt concern for splenic sequestration crisis?
Answer: Sudden drop in hemoglobin to 4.0 g/dL with thrombocytopenia
Acute splenic sequestration causes rapid pooling of RBCs and platelets in the spleen, producing a sudden severe drop in hemoglobin with thrombocytopenia.
A patient's ammonia level is 185 µmol/L (reference 11–51 µmol/L). The most likely clinical concern is:
Answer: Hepatic encephalopathy
Severely elevated ammonia in the context of clinical evaluation raises concern for hepatic encephalopathy, as the liver cannot convert ammonia to urea.
Which urinalysis finding is most suggestive of acute tubular necrosis (ATN)?
Answer: Muddy brown granular casts with tubular epithelial cell casts
Muddy brown granular casts and renal tubular epithelial cell casts are pathognomonic of acute tubular necrosis, reflecting sloughed tubular cells.
A patient on lithium therapy has a serum lithium of 2.4 mEq/L (therapeutic range 0.6–1.2 mEq/L). The laboratory technologist should:
Answer: Report as a critical value and notify the clinician immediately
Lithium levels above 2.0 mEq/L are toxic and constitute a critical value requiring immediate clinician notification to prevent irreversible neurological damage.
Which pattern of liver function tests is most consistent with acute acetaminophen (Tylenol) overdose?
Answer: Markedly elevated ALT and AST (>1000 U/L) with elevated PT
Acetaminophen overdose causes massive hepatocellular necrosis, producing dramatically elevated transaminases (often >1000 U/L) and coagulopathy from loss of synthetic function.