Lab values & electrolytes worksheet with answers

Free printable Lab values & electrolytes worksheet: 8 problems from easy to exam level, with an answer key. Print it or save it as a PDF.

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1.Easy

A patient who has not eaten for 2 days has ketones in the urine. What is the most likely reason?

  1. AThe bladder has a bacterial infection
  2. BThe body is burning fat for energy
  3. CThe liver is making too much glucose
  4. DThe kidneys are leaking protein
2.Easy

A raised serum uric acid is most closely linked to which condition?

  1. AHypothyroidism
  2. BGout
  3. COsteoporosis
  4. DIron-deficiency anemia
3.Easy

The sweat chloride test is used to diagnose which condition?

  1. ACystic fibrosis
  2. BDiabetes mellitus
  3. CHypothyroidism
  4. DSickle cell disease
4.Medium

A week after a splenectomy, a patient's platelet count is 650 × 10³/µL. What is the best interpretation?

  1. AA sign of iron overload from the surgery and transfusion
  2. BAn expected rise after splenectomy that increases clot risk
  3. CA laboratory error, because platelets fall after splenectomy
  4. DA sign of new leukemia that needs immediate chemotherapy
5.Medium

When blood is drawn from a central venous catheter, why is a small volume of blood usually discarded first, according to policy?

  1. ATo check that the catheter tip is still in the right vein
  2. BTo remove blood clots that form in all central lines
  3. CTo avoid diluting the sample with flush or infusion fluid
  4. DTo lower the patient's hemoglobin for a blood transfusion
6.Medium

A patient takes valproate (valproic acid) for epilepsy. Which tests are monitored regularly?

  1. ASerum lithium and urine specific gravity
  2. BLiver function tests and platelet count
  3. CThyroid function and serum calcium
  4. DTroponin and B-type natriuretic peptide
7.Hard

An older adult has bone pain, fatigue and frequent infections. Results show anemia, a calcium of 12.4 mg/dL (3.1 mmol/L), a raised total protein and a rising creatinine. Which condition should be suspected?

  1. APrimary hypothyroidism
  2. BMultiple myeloma
  3. CAcute viral hepatitis
  4. DIron-deficiency anemia
8.Hard

Two sets of blood cultures were taken from separate sites. Only one bottle in one set grows coagulase-negative staphylococci, and the patient has no line or implant. What is the most likely interpretation?

  1. AProbable skin contamination of the sample
  2. BProof that the patient has infective endocarditis
  3. CCertain bloodstream infection needing treatment
  4. DInfection with a resistant organism such as MRSA

Answer key

  1. 1. B · The body is burning fat for energy
  2. 2. B · Gout
  3. 3. A · Cystic fibrosis
  4. 4. B · An expected rise after splenectomy that increases clot risk
  5. 5. C · To avoid diluting the sample with flush or infusion fluid
  6. 6. B · Liver function tests and platelet count
  7. 7. B · Multiple myeloma
  8. 8. A · Probable skin contamination of the sample

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