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Diagnostic Procedures Flashcards

7 cards from real PEBC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. A patient presents with a serum potassium of 6.2 mmol/L. Which ECG change is expected first?

    Answer: Peaked T waves

    Peaked (tall, narrow) T waves are the earliest ECG manifestation of hyperkalemia, occurring before P wave changes or QRS widening.

  2. Which interpretation of a fasting plasma glucose (FPG) result would indicate prediabetes (impaired fasting glucose) according to Canadian guidelines?

    Answer: FPG 5.6–6.9 mmol/L

    A fasting plasma glucose of 6.1–6.9 mmol/L (per Diabetes Canada guidelines) indicates impaired fasting glucose (prediabetes).

  3. A 70-year-old patient's serum creatinine is within normal limits but their eGFR is 52 mL/min/1.73m². What does this discrepancy reflect?

    Answer: Age-related decrease in muscle mass leading to lower creatinine production

    Elderly patients have reduced muscle mass and thus lower creatinine production, causing serum creatinine to appear normal despite significantly reduced GFR.

  4. A patient is started on methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis. Which baseline and monitoring tests are essential?

    Answer: CBC, LFTs, serum creatinine, and chest X-ray

    Methotrexate requires baseline and periodic CBC (bone marrow suppression), LFTs and albumin (hepatotoxicity), renal function, and chest X-ray (pulmonary toxicity) monitoring.

  5. Which finding on a urinalysis would most suggest a urinary tract infection?

    Answer: Positive nitrite and positive leukocyte esterase

    Positive nitrite (bacterial nitrate reduction) combined with positive leukocyte esterase (pyuria) strongly suggests a bacterial urinary tract infection.

  6. A pharmacist reviews a patient's PTT (aPTT) result of 90 seconds (reference: 25–35 seconds). The patient is on unfractionated heparin. What does this suggest?

    Answer: Supratherapeutic heparin dosing; reduce infusion rate

    A therapeutic aPTT target for UFH is typically 1.5–2.5 times the control (approximately 60–80 seconds); an aPTT of 90 seconds indicates supratherapeutic dosing requiring dose reduction.

  7. A patient's liver function tests show AST 320 U/L, ALT 480 U/L, ALP 105 U/L, and total bilirubin 28 µmol/L. This pattern most suggests:

    Answer: Hepatocellular injury

    Markedly elevated transaminases (AST, ALT) with only mildly elevated ALP and bilirubin indicates hepatocellular injury (e.g., viral hepatitis, drug-induced liver injury).