# You folks do urine dipsticks??



## mycrofft (Jan 7, 2009)

Fellow walks in, c/o blood in  urine since this AM with suprapubic discomfort but not pain. VS WNL, denies all in medical hx. Denies N/V or anorexia. A little pale, not icteric, so I got a witnessed urine and did a ten panel dip.
Looks like rootbeer without foam. Dip reveals instananeous maxed blood, ketones, and protein. Negative bilirubin, negative sugar. pH maxed high. I didn't have a microscope but spun the specimen in a redtop tube and got a glaucous little sediment in one corner (so the blood was haemolyzed not whole). Instant admission to medical housing and will be in a hospital before tonight.
Any guesses what is going on before I find out tomorrow...or later?


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## Flight-LP (Jan 7, 2009)

Renal lithiasis would be my first suspicion. Hemolyzed blood plus alkaline urine is textbook for calcium carbonate and phosphate stones..............

If not, here's a couple of questions.

1. What is the pts. diet. Specifically has he been on a high carbohydrate diet? This could cause the ketones and protein to read positive.

2. DM history? Another reason for the ketones.

3. Any history of nephrotoxic drug use? Another reason for proteinuria.

What was his S.G.??????


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## mycrofft (Jan 13, 2009)

*Apologizing for the delayed response*


Diet: poor before jail, then offered balanced diet per State Title 15. In jail over a week. 
DM: not that I know of. No polyuria/polydipsia, NOT obese.
SpGrav: maxed at once.
No flank or lower abd or back pain.Also, this wasn't blood tinged urine, this was "_*rootbeer*_" without a head.
Probable hx meth abuse, alcohol abuse but did not detox. Probably smokes tobacco a least.
Our doc, last I heard, was tending towards putting his quarter on the little square that says "Cancer".
I was curious if other EMS folks used urine dipsticks to gather data.


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