Techytechy

Nurses and tech friends, this is the third batch of the most important Nursing laboratory test that every nurse enthusiast should know by heart. It is not only the doctors and medical technologists that must know these tests but the nurses as well. For tech lovers, it also does not hurt to know something about this.

1. Guthrie test – test for phenylalanine levels to diagnose PKU
2. Nitrazine test – test for acidity / alkalinity; red for acid and blue for alkaline
3. Fern test – microscopic exam to determine rupture of membrane (ROM), (+) if there’s NaCl fern-like crystal seen
4. Post-coital test – done within 1-2 days of presumed ovulation, a test for fertility; determine the number and motility of sperm
5. Beutler test – like Guthrie test but this is to screen for galactosemia
6. Scotch tape test – done before bowel movement early in the morning to detect pinworms
7. Patch test – introduce an allergen into the skin to detect allergies (refer to the picture)
8. Tensilon test – a test for myasthenia gravis to determine whether it is myasthenic / cholinergic crisis by administering Edrophonium (Tensilon); if symptoms intensify, it is cholinergic
9. Voice test – examiner stand 1-2 feet away and let the patient block 1 ear; the examiner whispers a statement and asks the patient to repeat it. Each ear is tested separately
10. Serum trough and peak level – to know the effectiveness of gentamicin by getting a sample 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after the 3^rd dose is given
11. Fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test – specific for syphilis
12. (RAIU) radio active iodine uptake test – if increased then hyperthyroidism; if decreased then hypothyroidism
13. ANA (anti-nucleic antibody test), then Coomb’s test then Complement test – most definitive tests for SLE
14. Glucose tolerance test – NPO (nothing per orem or nothing taken per mouth) during pre-procedure, drink high CHO (carbohydrate) substance then take the patient’s glucose level an hour after. An increase means impaired glucose tolerance if negative DM (diabetes mellitus)
15. Non-stress test – an evaluation of fetal heart rate response to natural contractile activity
16. Ishihara color test -  numerous plates with colored dots and pattern; if unable to read pattern then suggestive of color blindness (Blue, Green, Red for adults while Red, Orange, Yellow for elderly)
17. Bjernum tangent plate – to test central vision, if lost central vision then suggestive of macular degeneration
18. AIMS(Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale) – used to assess tardive dyskinesia
19. Tine (prick) test – usually the first test done to detect TB, done before PPD, there’s a disk with tuberculin antigen used to puncture the skin
20. Tissue culture test – to test for the virus present
21. Sensitivity test – tests for bacteria present for prescription of antibiotics
22. Trendelenburg test – raise legs to inspect for varicosities
23. Anti-nuclear antibody test – test also used in rheumatoid arthritis

Maximize tech to your advantage by learning all these important Nursing laboratory tests only here in this site. Enjoy!

This is the second set of some of the most important tests that nurses , Nursing inclined individuals and tech enthusiasts must know. Listed below ar 20 itemized tests for you to either memorize and know by heart. Surely, this will come in handy in some parts of your healthy living.

1. Antibodies: Anti DNA antibody, Anti-Smith antibody, anti-nuclear antibody – positive is indicative for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), also present in rheumatoid arthritis
2. Lupus E. cell preparation – SLE, Rheumatoid arthritis
3. Culture & sensitivity – to diagnose specific cases of pneumonia
4. Pulmonary angiography and ventilation – perfusion lung scan – test for pulmonary embolism
5. Myoglobin, CK-MB, Troponin – to test for Myocardial Infarction (MI)
6. Trendelenburg test (T-test) – for venous disorders like varicosities
7. Finger-nose test – test for cerebral function
8. Romberg’s test – walk along a line with eyes closed (test balance)
9. Guaiac test – assess presence of occult blood in feces and urine – a blue result means 3x positive
10. Coomb’s test – test for Rh compatibility like between mother and newborn to rule out erythroblastosis fetalis
11. Iliopsoas muscle test – done to test for appendicitis wherein patient’s legs are raised off the bed and a force is applied to the upper thigh while the patient opposes the force
12. Obturator muscle test – test for ruptured appendicitis, done with patient in supine position and his right leg is flexed at the hip and knees must be kept at 90° angle; afterwards internal rotate the right ankle
13. Antistreptolysin-O-titer (ASO titer) – used to diagnosed rheumatic fever
14. PPD tuberculin test (purified protein derivative) – for TB screening in pregnant women; it has a radiation source; otherwise known as Mantoux test
15. Glucose tolerance test – test for blood glucose level taken at regular intervals after giving standard dose of glucose
16. Kleihauer Betke test – detect whether blood is fetal or maternal in origin
17. Radioimmunoassay test (RIA) – Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (Hcg) test for pregnancy; uses serum
18. Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay test (ELISA) – Hcg test for pregnancy, uses urine or serum
19. Hepatojugular reflux – done to test for right sided heart failure wherein pressure is applied on ones abdomen for 30-60 seconds. A sustained increase in central venous pressure (CVP) or jugular distention is a positive result
20. Sweat test – test presence of sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl) to determine cystic fibrosis

Tech friends and nurses, please watch out for the third set of the most important Nursing tests in the upcoming posts only here in this tech site.

This is the first 20 Nursing Laboratory Tests that nurses and nurse aspirants must know. The beauty of incorporating online tech and Nursing can be seen below:

1. Schilling test – test for pernicious anemia
2. Weber’s test – hearing acuity
3. Rinne test – hearing acuity



4. Coomb’s test – test for anemia due to premature lysis of RBC
5. Sulkowitch test – test for Calcium in urine
6. Calcium Deprivation test – measures the exact Calcium value in a 24-hour urine collection
7. Allen’s test – done before an Arterial Blood Gas (ABG), checks the patency of arteries
8. Phagocytic Cell Function test – evaluates phagocytic activity of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN)
9. Protein Electrophoresis – blood analysis for Protein (CHON) content
10. C-reactive Protein – blood test to diagnose infection and inflammation especially in rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatic fever
11. Radioallergosorbent test (RAST) – quantitative analysis of Immunoglobulin E (IgE)
12. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) – measures RBC settling out in a tube of unclotted blood, an increase suggests inflammation
13. Tourniquet test – test for capillary fragility, inflate BP cuff for 5 minutes at halfway the diastolic pressure then count the number of petechiae
14. Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay test (ELISA) – initial test for AIDS
15. Western blot – confirmatory test for AIDS
16. Patch test – skin test to identify allergens by placing the allergen on a path which is placed on the client’s skin
17. Plasma HIV RNA – represents active viral replication, indicates disease progression
18. CD₈ T-cell Count – indicates extent of damage in HIV infection
19. Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test (VDRL) – test for syphilis or Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
20. Complement levels (CH₃, CH₅₀) – an increase indicates inflammation, common test in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)

With this, your career as a nurse will be a lot easier, not to mention you’re using a form of tech to study online.