Review of Urea and Renal Function (Nursing)

00:01 Hi! Welcome to our interpreting lab value series.

00:04 In this one we're going to take a look at the BUN to creatinine ratio.

00:09 Now hold on because I'm going to share some actual lab values from my most favorite aunt and you're going to think I made them up.

00:17 But I promise you this was real life.

00:20 So first, let's look at urea and renal function.

00:23 Remember urea is nitrogen.

00:25 It contains nitrogen, its water soluble and it's a waste product.

00:30 So if I have healthy kidneys normally should filter urea from my bloodstream into my urine to exit my body.

00:39 When I have normal renal and liver function, I should have a creatinine between 7 and 20, keeping in mind normal ranges vary by lab but that's a good reference range for you 7 to 20.

00:51 Now when the BUN becomes elevated now, we've got something that we need to dig deeper into.

00:57 There's three main categories remember organ dysfunction, High protein or significant dehydration, not just "oh, I'm a little thirsty" that's a sign of significant dehydration for it to be elevated.

01:11 So liver or renal dysfunction, that's the organ dysfunction category, extra protein, which had come from a really extreme dietary intake or GI bleeding because remember hemoglobin in red blood cells is a protein and if I'm leaking blood into my GI tract that's going to cause an elevated level of protein.

01:32 The last one is significant dehydration.

01:35 So normal levels just to give you a quick reminder.

01:38 Remember men are a little bit higher than women, why? Creatinine deals with muscle and men tend to have a little higher muscle percentage in their body makeup.

01:47 So men are .6 to 1.2 and women are .5 to 1.1.

01:52 Hey an easy way to remember that 2 times 6 is 12.

01:56 So I always remember men is point .6 to 1.2 and then I know the women are just a little bit beneath it.

02:03 I will take any help I can get a remembering lab values because that's a lot of numbers that runs around in your brain.

02:09 So if that works for you, you're welcome to use it.

02:13 Now remember serum creatinine is another chemical waste product.

02:16 It's produced by muscle metabolism.

02:19 That's why men have a little bit higher level but your kidneys when they're healthy filter this out as well from your blood into your urine to leave your body.