1.8 Laboratory and Diagnostic Testing: A Perioperative Update

• PERIOPERATIVE NURSES are challenged to stay informed about the rapidly changing field of diagnostic and laboratory testing.
• THE BRAIN NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE test primarily is used to differentiate dyspnea caused by heart failure from dyspnea that results from other causes.
• VIRTUAL COLONOSCOPY is a promising new alternative for detecting colorectal polyps and cancers.
• THE MICROALBUMIN URINE TEST provides an early indication of the development of diabetic complications.
• THIS UPDATE of relatively new laboratory tests and diagnostic studies also provides implications for perioperative nurses. AORN J 85 (April 2007) 754–762.