LABORATORY TESTS RELATED TO STROKE
Complete Blood Count (CBC): This test helps examine overall blood count levels, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. A CBC can quickly inform doctors of potential contributors to stroke, identify illnesses that may contribute to stroke, and provide input into management of stroke.
Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP): This blood test measures the status of a patient’s metabolism, including glucose, electrolytes, kidney function, and fluid balance. This test is important because the body tightly regulates its physiology, and these values can indicate when there is a problem. Results from a BMP can help doctors rule out other conditions. They can also help to identify illnesses that may contribute to stroke.
Coagulation Tests: These are laboratory tests that assess the body’s ability to form and remove blood clots. Some more common coagulation tests are prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and INR (international normalized ratio). These tests all measure how long it takes for the blood to clot. Abnormalities in these tests may guide doctors towards potential causes of stroke and aid in the acute (short term) management of stroke. Patients who have an ischemic stroke often have a faster than normal clotting time. Patients who have hemorrhagic stroke often have a slower than normal clotting time.
Cardiac Biomarkers: This is a set of laboratory tests that evaluate the function of the heart. Abnormalities in these tests may guide the diagnosis and have implications for the outcome, or prognosis, of stroke. Cardiac biomarkers that may be elevated in stroke include troponins, creatine kinase-MB, and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP). These biomarkers are proteins that are mostly found in heart muscle. These may also be used for prognosis in stroke patients.