LAB VALUES IN 5: Ammonia for NCLEX

Ammonia — the must-know liver lab value for the NCLEX, covered in 5 minutes.

In this episode: what ammonia measures, the normal reference range of 19-60 in conventional units (11-35 SI units), how ammonia is the byproduct of protein metabolism that the liver converts to urea, why elevated ammonia means the liver can't make that conversion, causes including advanced liver disease, cirrhosis and hepatitis, how high ammonia leads to hepatic encephalopathy and decreased neuro status, how lactulose treats it by binding ammonia to stool, and using ammonia to monitor hepatic encephalopathy treatment and patients on TPN.

Keywords: ammonia, normal range, reference range 19-60, elevated ammonia, liver function, protein metabolism, urea, BUN, hepatic encephalopathy, lactulose, cirrhosis, hepatitis, neuro status, TPN, NCLEX lab values, nursing labs.

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New episodes of Lab Values in 5 drop every Tuesday.