Lab Testing in North Central Arkansas and South Central Missouri
Common Tests Include:
Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP)
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP)
Lipid Profile
Thyroid Test(s)
Complete Blood Count (CBC) with or without White Blood Cell (WBC) Differential
Prothrombin Time (PT) with INR & Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (PTT)
Urinalysis (UA)
Basic Metabolic Panel
The BMP may be part of a blood work-up for a medical exam or a yearly physical.
It measures:
How well your kidneys are working
Electrolytes to check your fluid balance
Your blood sugar or Glucose level to check for diabetes
Calcium for your bone health
Risk of disease complications or side effects of drugs
The BMP includes:
Glucose
Calcium
Electrolytes
Sodium
Potassium
Chloride
CO2
Kidney Tests
Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN)
Creatinine
What Is Needed From You: A small sample of your blood. Please fast before this test.
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
The CMP is a larger panel of tests that may be part of a blood work-up
for a medical exam or a yearly physical. A CMP includes tests that measure:
How well your kidneys & liver are working
Electrolytes to check your fluid balance
Glucose to check for diabetes
Calcium & other minerals
Blood Proteins
Risk of disease complications or side effects of drugs
The CMP includes:
Tests in the BMP plus
Proteins
Albumin
Total Protein
Liver Tests
Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP)
Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT)
Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST)
Bilirubin
What Is Needed From You: A small sample of your blood. This test should be fasting.
Lipid Panel
These tests help your provider decide if you are at risk of developing
heart disease. He or she will consider the results along with other known
risk factors to develop a plan of treatment & follow-up care. The
panel includes:
Triglycerides
Cholesterol
HDL Cholesterol (“Good” Cholesterol)
LDL Cholesterol (“Bad” Cholesterol)
HDL/Cholesterol ratio or risk score based on test results, age, sex &
other risk factors
What Is Needed From You: A small sample of your blood. To make sure your test results are meaningful
to your care, do not eat or drink anything except for small amounts of
water for 10-12 hours before the test.
Thyroid Function Tests
Thyroid Function Tests check the thyroid gland located in the front of
the neck below your Adam’s apple. This gland makes hormones that
play an important role in regulating your body’s metabolism. The
tests also used to monitor patients who are taking hormone replacement medicine.
Thyroid Function tests include:
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH)
Free or Total T4
Free or Total T3
What Is Needed From You: A small sample of your blood.
Complete Blood Count (CBC) & White Blood Cell (WBC) Differential
A CBC with or without a WBC differential is often done as part of a routine
medical exam. The test measures the types & numbers of:
White Blood Cells (WBC’s) for fighting infections
Red Blood Cells (RBC’s) for carrying oxygen throughout your body
Platelets for stopping minor bleeding
CBC is used to:
Check for anemia or blood loss
Diagnose infections (bacterial & viral)
Detect diseases like leukemia and sickle cell
Check the response to some types of drug or radiation treatment
Monitor the health of patients receiving chemotherapy
What Is Needed From You: A small sample of your blood. Ask your provider or the Laboratory if you
need to do anything special for this test.
Prothrombin Time (PT) with INR & Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (PTT)
This test helps measure the ability of your blood to form a healthy clot:
Make sure your anti-coagulant or “blood thinning” medicine
is at the correct level
Check for some bleeding disorders (such as hemophilia) that run in families
Make sure your hemostatic health (the ability of your blood to form a clot)
is sufficient before having surgery
Check for other problems such as liver disease or a need for vitamins
What INR means: The International Normalized Ratio (INR) helps standardize PT results
from one Laboratory to the next. This is important when you need your
test performed when you travel.
What Is Needed From You: A small sample of your blood will be taken. Ask your provider or the Laboratory
if you need to do anything special for this test.
Urinalysis (UA)
This test may be ordered as part of a wellness exam, if you have symptoms
of frequency or burning during urination or as part of a metabolic workup.
It can detect metabolic & kidney disorders as well as urinary tract
infections.
UA Measures:
Acidity of your urine (pH)
Concentration of your urine (specific gravity)
Presence of red or white blood cells
Bacteria or yeast
Crystals or casts
Sugar, protein, bilirubin
What Is Needed From You: A small sample of your urine will be collected using the clean catch method.
The Lab professional will explain this process at the time of collection.
If you have questions, please ask them before you collect the sample.
