Cyndi Zarbano – Mastering Lab Interpretation & The Implications for Patient Care

• Understanding the Differential: Including “Shift to the Left”
• Identify Types of Acute Kidney Failure from the Labs
• Life-Threatening Electrolyte Imbalances and Interventions
• Master ABG Interpretation Using a Simple Tool
• Systemic Inflammation of Sepsis: Lactate/Procalcitonin Levels
• Reading Cultures and Sensitivities
• The Clues to Liver Failure: Understanding LFTs
• Lab and EKG Clues to Differentiate ACS and MI

Attend Mastering Lab Interpretation & The Implications for Patient Care interactive seminar and leave with true integrative understanding of lab results and patient outcomes. Be a CLINICIAN, not a TECHNICIAN . . . be PROactive, not REactive! Learn the hidden clinical clues of labs and empower yourself to change lives as a situationally aware patient advocate powerhouse!

Join Cyndi Zarbano, MSN, BSN, CCRN, CMSRN, CLNC, NLCP, as she demystifies both the common and less frequently seen lab values. You will explore a large variety of labs, why they are ordered, and what the results tell us about your patients. By understanding the clues that these values give you, you can utilize critical thinking to proactively plan the course of care and optimize patient outcomes.

What You’ll Learn In Mastering Lab Interpretation & The Implications for Patient Care

Basic Metabolic Profile (BMP)

• Glucose
• Acid Base
• Renal Function
• Electrolytes
• Life-threatening Electrolytes
  • Potassium
  • Magnesium
  • Sodium
  • Calcium

Comprehensive Metabolic Panel: Indications and Implications

• LFTs: Exploring the Liver
• AST/ALT/ALP/Total Bilirubin/Proteins
• Health Issues in Liver Failure
  • Jaundice
  • Ascites
  • Hepatic
  • Encephelopathy

CBC with Differential: Interpreting the Components

• What Can Impact WBC and Neutrophil Findings
• Anemias/Polycythemias
• Understanding the Differential
• The Left Shift Explained
• Guidelines on Transfusing have Changed

Acute Renal Failure: Identify the Cause

• Creatinine
• BUN
• BUN/CR ratios
• Glomerular Filtration Rate
• Urine Osmolality
• FENA

Cardiac Labs: Ischemia vs. Myocardial Infarction

• Cardiac Panels
• EKG Clues Supporting the Findings
• Distinguishing STEMI vs. NSTEMI
• BNP
• Pro-BNP

Coagulation/Thrombotic Risk Panels: Clues to Clotting

• The Clotting Cascade
• The Right Lab Test for the Medication
• aPTT
• PT
• INR
• D-dimer
• Disseminated Intravascular Coagulopathy

Urinalysis: Does Your Patient Have a UTI?

• Latest Guidelines
• Culture

Blood Gases: Identifying the Underlying Abnormality

• Three Types of Gases
• Interpreting Arterial Blood Gases: It’s Easier Than You Think!
• Venous Blood Gases
• Mixed Venous Blood Gases

Labs and Sepsis: Taking a Team Approach

• Cultures, Gram Stains and Sensitivities
• Systematic Inflammation
• Labs of Sepsis
  • Lactate Levels
  • Procalcitonin Levels
  • WBCs
  • Neutrophils

Lumbar Punctures / Cerebral Spinal Fluid

• Bacterial Meningitis
• Viral Meningitis
• Viral Encephalitis

Understanding Thyroid Dysfunction

• TSH
• T4 Levels
• T3 Uptake

Differentiating Hyperglycemic States

• DKA
• HHS (HHNK)
• Treatment for Each

About Cyndi Zarbano

Cyndi Zarbano, MSN-Ed, CCRN, practices at Mayo Clinic in MN as an ICU nurse. Through her 25 years of clinical practice, she has drawn expertise from a variety of intensive care/critical care roles. Her insights have been sought in legal cases for the past 12 years. Cyndi has been a requested presenter, speaking to diverse healthcare audiences throughout the country.