Body Fluid Lab Essentials

Clinical pathology

Video course

by Amer Wahed, MD FRCPath

From time to time we send various body fluids to the laboratory—but are we ordering the right tests on these fluids to come to an accurate diagnosis? After attending this course, you will be comfortable ordering and interpreting body fluid analyses. You will understand the clinical implications of lab abnormalities and will know what to do about them.

1h 22m

5 Quizzes

2 CME

What’s in it for you?

Master the most important skills

Learn the skills experts say you need to master in order to become a great clinician.

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After completing this course, you will be able to

Identify, analyze, and diagnose synovial effusions.
Identify pleural effusions and classify them as transudative or exudative.
Diagnose ascites using physical exam techniques and laboratory tests.
Analyze cerebrospinal fluid and diagnose specific etiologies.
Identify a pericardial effusion and know when to perform pericardial fluid drainage with analysis.

What's inside

Free

Chapter 1

Synovial effusion

In this chapter, we will discuss the pathophysiology of synovial effusion, the acquisition and analysis of synovial fluid, and how to determine the cause of the effusion.

6 lessons

15m

Synovial effusion intro

Identifying a synovial effusion

Acquiring synovial fluid for analysis

Analyzing synovial fluid

Covering crystal analysis

Diagnosing types of synovial effusions

Synovial effusion quiz

Quiz

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Chapter 2

Pleural effusion

Here, you will cover the pathophysiology and classification of pleural effusions, acquisition and analysis of pleural fluid, and how to determine the cause of the effusion.

7 lessons

20m

Pleural effusion intro

Identifying a pleural effusion

Acquiring pleural fluid for analysis

Analyzing gross appearance and cell count

Classifying pleural effusions

Differentiating transudative and exudative effusions

Investigating other pleural fluid components

Pleural effusion quiz

Quiz

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Chapter 3

Ascites

Learn how to acquire ascites fluid and test for specific etiologies in this chapter. You will cover the pathophysiology of ascites and learn when to order further testing.

7 lessons

21m

Ascites intro

Diagnosing ascites

Acquiring ascites fluid by paracentesis

Examining the gross appearance

Analyzing the cell count and protein concentration

Conducting other testing

Testing for specific etiologies

Ascites quiz

Quiz

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Chapter 4

Cerebrospinal fluid

Master the lumbar puncture and subsequent analysis of CSF in this chapter. You will also learn how to order additional testing and distinguish between viral and bacterial meningitis.

7 lessons

18m

Cerebrospinal fluid intro

Introducing cerebrospinal fluid

Obtaining a CSF sample

Analyzing gross appearance and cell count

Analyzing the chemical composition

Using additional testing

Diagnosing meningitis

Cerebrospinal fluid quiz

Quiz

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Chapter 5

Pericardial effusion

This chapter covers the pathophysiology of pericardial effusion, pericardial fluid analysis, and how to determine the cause of the effusion.

5 lessons

10m

Pericardial effusion

Identifying a pericardial effusion

Performing pericardial fluid drainage

Analyzing pericardial fluid

Pericardial effusion quiz

Quiz

Body Fluid Lab Essentials Outro

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Teachers of this course

Amer Wahed, MD FRCPath

Amer is a Professor and Vice Chair (Clinical Pathology) and Associate Residency Program Director in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Texas, Health Science Center at Houston, USA.

Teacher Profile

Medmastery

Nora Drenaline

Clinical pathology

Claim your certificate

All members receive a certificate for completing this course. For Pro members, the certificate comes with 2 CME credits.

CME accredited

All our courses and workshops are fully CME accredited. We provide USA AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and European CME credits (ECMEC®s). Pro members can download their CME certificates upon successful completion of activities. Want to transfer these credits to your national system? No problem.

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CME at its best

Award-winning teaching method

Winner of the Comenius EduMedia Medal
For outstanding digital education—Berlin 2013
Highly commended by the British Medical Association
Awarded in the digital category of the BMA Book Awards—London 2017
Winner of the Comenius EduMedia Seal
For outstanding digital education—Berlin 2017
Internationally accredited
CME accredited in the USA and EU with mutual recognition agreements in most other countries.
Trusted institutional partner
Used by residency programs and universities around the world to train their clinicians and students.
Top-rated by our learners
Rated excellent by hundreds of users on Trustpilot, an independent reviewing platform.

What’s in it for you?

Master the most important skills

Learn any skill in under 5 hours

Save time and money

After completing this course, you will be able to

What's inside

Synovial effusion

Pleural effusion

Ascites

Cerebrospinal fluid

Pericardial effusion

Claim your certificate

CME accredited

Winner of the Comenius EduMedia Medal

Highly commended by the British Medical Association

Winner of the Comenius EduMedia Seal

Internationally accredited

Trusted institutional partner

Top-rated by our learners