Dictionary

Labs and diagnostics

Lab values with their normal and critical ranges, and the tests nurses prepare clients for.

natriuretic peptideA hormone released by stretched heart muscle that makes the kidneys remove sodium and water and relaxes the blood vessels.

NCSNerve conduction study: a test that measures how fast and how strongly electrical signals travel along a nerve.

neutropeniaA lower than normal number of neutrophils, the white blood cells that fight bacterial infection first.

neutrophilThe most common type of white blood cell, which is first to reach and destroy bacteria at a site of infection.

newborn screeningTesting of every newborn for serious hidden conditions, using a few drops of blood from the heel plus hearing and heart checks.

ng/mLNanograms per milliliter: a unit for very small amounts of a substance in blood or another fluid.

nonstress testA prenatal test that records the fetal heart rate for about 20 to 40 minutes to see how it changes when the baby moves.

NT-proBNPA blood test for a protein the heart's ventricles release when they are stretched, used in the diagnosis and follow-up of heart failure.