In the medical field, terminology is the first step to tackle patient care. Medical transcriptionists require a thorough knowledge of medical terminology, including anatomy, physiology, and pathology. Coders must also know enough about the body and how it works to be able to code successfully. In the process of evaluating a patient, laboratory tests are commonly undertaken. Understanding the “normals” and “abnormals” is sometimes critical to ensure accuracy, particularly in transcription. It is also useful to know for personal health reasons, for oneself and the related family members. Here is a list of the “normal” laboratory values.
Normal Lab Values
|
HEMATOLOGY |
|
| Red Blood Cells | |
| RBC (Male) | 4.2 – 5.6 M/µL |
| RBC (Female) | 3.8 – 5.1 M/µL |
| RBC (Child) | 3.5 – 5.0 M/µL |
| White Blood Cells | |
| WBC (Male) | 3.8 – 11.0 K / mm cubed |
| WBC (Female) | 3.8 – 11.0 K / mm cubed |
| WBC (Child) | 5.0 – 10.0 K / mm cubed |
| Hemoglobin | |
| Hgb (Male) | 14 – 18 g/dL |
| Hgb (Female) | 11 – 16 g/dL |
| Hgb (child) | 10 – 14 g/dL |
| Hgb (Newborn) | 15 – 25 g/dL |
| Hematocrit | |
| Hct (Male) | 39 – 54% |
| Hct (Female) | 34 – 47% |
| Hct (Child) | 30 – 42% |
| MCV | 78 – 98 fL |
| MCH | 27 – 35 pg |
| MCHC | 31 – 37% |
| neutrophils | 50 – 81% |
| bands | 1 – 5% |
| lymphocytes | 14 – 44% |
| monocytes | 2 – 6% |
| eosinophils | 1 – 5% |
| basophils | 0 – 1% |
| CARDIAC MARKERS | |
| troponin I | 0 – 0.1 ng/ml (onset: 4-6 hrs, peak: 12-24 hrs, return to normal: 4-7 days) |
| troponin T | 0 – 0.2 ng/ml (onset: 3-4 hrs, peak: 10-24 hrs, return to normal: 10-14 days) |
| myoglobin (Male) | 10 – 95 ng/ml (onset: 1-3 hrs, peak: 6-10 hrs, return to normal: 12-24 hrs) |
| myoglobin (Female) | 10 – 65 ng/ml (onset: 1-3 hrs, peak: 6-10 hrs, return to normal: 12-24 hrs) |
| GENERAL CHEMISTRY | |
| acetone | 0.3 – 2.0 mg% |
| albumin | 3.5 – 5.0 gm/dL |
| alkaline Phosphatase | 32 – 110 U/L |
| anion gap | 5 – 16 mEq/L |
| ammonia | 11 – 35 µmol/L |
| amylase | 50 – 150 U/dL |
| AST, SGOT (Male) | 7 – 21 U/L |
| AST, SGOT (Female) | 6 – 18 U/L |
| bilirubin, direct | 0.0 – 0.4 mg/dL |
| bilirubin, indirect | total minus direct |
| bilirubin, total | 0.2 – 1.4 mg/dL |
| BUN | 6 – 23 mg/dL |
| calcium (total) | 8 – 11 mg/dL |
| carbon dioxide | 21 – 34 mEq/L |
| carbon monoxide | symptoms at greater than or equal to 10% saturation |
| chloride | 96 – 112 mEq/L |
| creatine (male) | 0.2 – 0.6 mg/dL |
| creatine (female) | 0.6 – 1.0 mg/dL |
| creatinine | 0.6 – 1.5 mg/dL |
| ethanol | 0 mg%; Coma: greater than or equal to 400 – 500 mg% |
| folic acid | 2.0 – 21 ng/mL |
| glucose | 70 – 110 mg/dL (diuresis greater than or equal to 180 mg/dL) |
| HDL (male) | 25 – 65 mg/dL |
| HDL (female) | 38 – 94 mg/dL |
| iron | 52 – 169 µg/dL |
| iron binding capacity | 246 – 455 µg/dL |
| lactic acid | 0.4 – 2.3 mEq/L |
| lactate | 0.3 – 2.3 mEq/L |
| lipase | 10 – 140 U/L |
| magnesium | 1.5 – 2.5 mg/dL |
| osmolarity | 276 – 295 mOsm/kg |
| parathyroid hormone | 12 – 68 pg/mL |
| phosphorus | 2.2 – 4.8 mg/dL |
| potasssium | 3.5 – 5.5 mEq/L |
| protein (total) | 6.0 – 9.0 gm/dL |
| SGPT | 8 – 32 U/L |
| sodium | 135 – 148 mEq/L |
| T3 | 0.8 – 1.1 µg/dL |
| thyroglobulin | Less than 55 ng/mL |
| thyroxine (T4) total | 5 – 13 µg/dL |
| total protein | 5 – 9 gm/dL |
| TSH | Less than 9 µU/mL |
| urea nitrogen | 8 – 25 mg/dL |
| uric acid (Male) | 3.5 – 7.7 mg/dL |
| uric acid (Female) | 2.5 – 6.6 mg/dL |
| LIPID PANEL (ADULT) | |
| cholesterol (total) | Less than 200 mg/dL desirable |
| cholesterol (HDL) | 30 – 75 mg/dL |
| cholesterol (LDL) | Less than 130 mg/dL desirable |
| triglycerides (Male) | Greater than 40 – 170 mg/dL |
| triglycerides (Female) | Greater than 35 – 135 mg/dL |
| URINE | |
| color | Straw |
| specific gravity | 1.003 – 1.040 |
| pH | 4.6 – 8.0 |
| Na | 10 – 40 mEq/L |
| K | Less than 8 mEq/L |
| Cl | Less than 8 mEq/L |
| protein | 1 – 15 mg/dL |
| osmolality | 80 – 1300 mOsm/L |
| 24 HOUR URINE | |
| amylase | 250 – 1100 IU / 24 hr |
| calcium | 100 – 250 mg / 24 hr |
| chloride | 110 – 250 mEq / 24 hr |
| creatinine | 1 – 2 g / 24 hr |
| creatine clearance (male) | 100 – 140 mL / min |
| creatine clearance (male) | 16 – 26 mg / kg / 24 hr |
| creatine clearance (female) | 80 – 130 mL / min |
| creatine clearance (female) | 10 – 20 mg / kg / 24 hr |
| magnesium | 6 – 9 mEq / 24 hr |
| osmolality | 450 – 900 mOsm / kg |
| phosphorus | 0.9 – 1.3 g / 24 hr |
| potassium | 35 – 85 mEq / 24 hr |
| protein | 0 – 150 mg / 24 hr |
| sodium | 30 – 280 mEq / 24 hr |
| urea nitrogen | 10 – 22 gm / 24 hr |
| uric acid | 240 – 755 mg / 24 hr |
| COAGULATION | |
| ACT | 90 – 130 seconds |
| APTT | 21 – 35 seconds |
| platelets | 140,000 – 450,000 / ml |
| plasminogen | 62 – 130% |
| PT | 10 – 14 seconds |
| PTT | 32 – 45 seconds |
| FSP | Less than 10 µg/dL |
| fibrinogen | 160 – 450 mg/dL |
| bleeding time | 3 – 7 minutes |
| thrombin time | 11 – 15 seconds |
| CEREBRAL SPINAL FLUID | |
| appearance | clear |
| glucose | 40 – 85 mg/dL |
| osmolality | 290 – 298 mOsm/L |
| pressure | 70 – 180 mm/H2O |
| protein | 15 – 45 mg/dL |
| total cell count | 0 – 5 cells |
| WBCs | 0 – 6 / µL |
| HEMODYNAMIC PARAMETERS | |
| cardiac index | 2.5 – 4.2 L / min / m squared |
| cardiac output | 4 – 8 LPM |
| left ventricular stroke work index | 40 – 70 g / m squared / beat |
| mean arterialpPressure | 70 – 105 mm Hg |
| pulmonary vascular resistance | 155 – 255 dynes / sec / cm to the negative 5 |
| pulmonary vascular resistance index | 255 – 285 dynes / sec / cm to the negative 5 |
| right ventricular stroke work index | 7 – 12 g / m squared / beat |
| stroke volume | 60 – 100 mL / beat |
| stroke volume index | 40 – 85 mL / m squared / beat |
| systemic vascular resistance | 900 – 1600 dynes / sec / cm to the negative 5 |
| systemic vascular resistance index | 1970 – 2390 dynes / sec / cm to the negative 5 |
| systolic arterial pressure | 90 – 140 mm Hg |
| diastolic arterial pressure | 60 – 90 mm Hg |
| central venous pressure | 2 – 6 mm Hg; 2.5 – 12 cm H2O |
| ejection fraction | 60 – 75% |
| left arterial pressure | 4 – 12 mm Hg |
| pulmonary artery systolic | 15 – 30 mm Hg |
| pulmonary artery diastolic | 5 – 15 mm Hg |
| pulmonary artery pressure | 10 – 20 mm Hg |
| pulmonary artery wedge pressure | 4 – 12 mm Hg |
| pulmonary artery end diastolic pressure | 8 – 10 mm Hg |
| right atrial pressure | 4 – 6 mm Hg |
| right ventricular end diastolic pressure | 0 – 8 mm Hg |
| NEUROLOGICAL VALUES | |
| cerebral perfusion pressure | 70 – 90 mm Hg |
| intracranial pressure | 5 – 15 mm Hg or 5 – 10 cm H2O |
| ARTERIAL VALUES | |
| pH | 7.35 – 7.45 |
| PaCO2 | 35 – 45 mm Hg |
| HCO3 | 22 – 26 mEq/L |
| O2 sat | 96 – 100% |
| PaO2 | 85 – 100 mm Hg |
| BE | -2 to +2 mmol/L |
| VENOUS VALUES | |
| pH | 7.31 – 7.41 |
| PaCO2 | 41 – 51 mm Hg |
| HCO3 | 22 – 29 mEq/L |
| O2 sat | 60 – 85% |
| PaO2 | 30 – 40 mm Hg |
| BE | 0 to +4 mmol/L |