Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Bowel obstruction laboratory findings
Introduction
Overview
Overview
Laboratory findings consistent with the diagnosis of bowel obstruction include hyponatremia and hypokalemia, leukocytosis, metabolic alkalosis and elevated serum lactate.
Laboratory Findings
Laboratory Findings
Laboratory findings that may be carried out in order to diagnose bowel obstruction include:[1][2][3]
- Complete blood count
- To identify anemia, which may indicate a specific etiology such as Crohn’s disease, Meckel’s diverticulum or malignancy
- To identify leukocytosis
- Blood urea nitrogen
- May be elevated indicating renal failure
- Creatinine
- May be elevated indicating renal failure
- Eletrolytes
- The presence of hyponatremia and hypokalemia is often noted in cases of bowel obstruction
- Arterial blood gases
- Although not routine, is useful to assess systemic signs such as hypotension and also for cases of metabolic alkalosis
- Serum lactate
- Elevated serum lactate may suggest bowel ischemia
- Procalcitonin
- Prognostic biomarker, elevation more than 0.57ng/ml indicates failure of non-operative management
- Prognostic biomarker, elevation more than 0.57ng/ml indicates failure of non-operative management
References
References
- ↑ Takeuchi K, Tsuzuki Y, Ando T, Sekihara M, Hara T, Yoshikawa M, Kuwano H (2004). “Clinical studies of strangulating small bowel obstruction”. Am Surg. 70 (1): 40–4. PMID 14964545.
- ↑ Murray MJ, Gonze MD, Nowak LR, Cobb CF (1994). “Serum D(-)-lactate levels as an aid to diagnosing acute intestinal ischemia”. Am. J. Surg. 167 (6): 575–8. PMID 8209931.
- ↑ Lange H, Jäckel R (1994). “Usefulness of plasma lactate concentration in the diagnosis of acute abdominal disease”. Eur J Surg. 160 (6–7): 381–4. PMID 7948358.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1];Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Hadeel Maksoud M.D.[2]