When I was an intern on the medicine consult service, we got consulted about a patient on the plastic surgery service with a history of hypertension and diabetes who had suffered third degree burns on his buttocks.
When I was checking his labs, I was shocked to see that in the week he had been in the hospital, only ONE lab test had ever been ordered.
Pop quiz: What lab test was it?
Ceruloplasmin, to see if he might have Wilson's Disease causing him to fall and burn his rear end while doing the happy dance over a hot stove.
ReplyDeleteHbA1C, to make sure his metformin is just right.
ReplyDeleteTGA for celiac's? (maybe he ate a cheeseburger on a bun while camping and was standing too close to a campfire before he ignited.)
ReplyDeletemrsa screening which is done on every hospital admit where I was last week.
ReplyDeleteDipstick test for a UTI.
ReplyDeleteWhat Grumpy said.
ReplyDeleteFor any STD? Dunno. Stupid situation requires stupid answer... =)
ReplyDeletePregnancy test. In case he got shocked by realizing he was the first male ever to become pregnant and fell backwards onto the stove.
ReplyDeleteIt was a credit check, of course.
ReplyDeletePrealbumin...it's the only blood test that the burn service at our hospital can reliably order.
ReplyDeletePotassium :)
ReplyDeletePrealbumin ordered by surgery.
ReplyDeleteThyroid function test?
ReplyDeleteA wound culture?
ReplyDeleteI'd hope it would be something relevant like wound culture...but I'm going to guess O2 sats.
ReplyDeleteBlood Alcohol
ReplyDeleteSpO2 is not a lab test. I'd just go with lytes.
ReplyDeleteU tox
ReplyDeleteblood glucose
ReplyDeleteStool sample.
ReplyDeleteurine urea nitrogen
ReplyDeleteSHOULD be some k's, albumin, maybe some MB's if burns are recent maybe? ABGs could also make lots of sense.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm guessing it was a Wallet Dipstick and a vitamin D level.