Hey there friend, I'm Christina Rafano from nursingschoolofsuccess.com and in this video
we are going to talk about the lab value creatinine.
We'll break down what you need to know about creatinine for nursing school, plus I'll walk
you through some critical thinking points about it, as well.
And be sure to stick around until the end of the video because I've got a free lab value
cheat sheet to help you out with lab values in nursing school.
Let's do this.
Okay so what exactly is creatinine, except for a big, scary word your professors throw
at your face in nursing school, right?!
Well, creatinine is actually super simple.
It's trash.
It's trash that your body wants to get rid of.
So every day you use your muscle's right, well creatinine is just a waste product of
you constantly using your muscles.
It's a biproduct of creatine breakdown.
So all day long, your muscles are naturally building up and breaking down in order to
keep all of your muscle cells healthy.
And creatinine is just a waste product of this process.
So when muscle breaks down, creatinine is created as a waste product.
So that's all it is!
So as this happens, creatinine is released into the blood stream.
And so that's what we're testing, when we test for creatinine.
We're testing the creatinine level of the blood.
Now, I know what you're thinking right about now.
"Wait a minute, I thought creatinine had to do with the kidneys, not the muscles!"
And you are 1000% right my friend, so you can take a deep breath.
Creatinine is a kidney lab, and here's why: The kidneys are responsible for getting rid
of creatinine.
And so, if the kidneys are damaged and they can't get rid of it, what do you think the
creatinine level is going to do?
You got it!
It's going to increase.
That is awesome critical thinking right there.
You know that creatinine is created as a waste product of muscle metabolism, and the kidneys
are in charge of excreting it, so that means that if the kidneys are damanged and they
can't excrete it, the blood creatinine level will rise.
So this test is primarily used to check for kidney function.
So a normal creatinine level is between 0.6-1.2 miligrams per deciliter.
So if that level is higher than normal, I want you to be thinking, "what's going on
with those kidneys!"
And of course, there are some times where the creatinine level might be lower than normal.
These could be cases like when someone is a vegetarian and doesn't eat a lot of protein
or meat, so their creatine levels are lower and therefore, their creatinine level would
be lower.
The same goes for a lower muscle mass, with lower muscle mass comes less creatine and
therefore, less creatinine.
So in all of those cases, it could possibly lead to a lowered blood creatinine level.
And that is creatinine for you!
Now I put a link in the description below this video so you can download your free cheat
sheet.
Be sure to check out the other lab value videos we have so you can rock your labs at clinical
or on your nursing school exams.
And as always, hit that like button, share this video with your friends who might just
be confused about this whole cretinine situation, and don't forget to subscribe and hit the
bell so you never miss a video.
Thank you so much for watching friend.
Now go become the nurse that God created only YOU to be.
I'll catch you right back here next time, on the nursing school show.
Take care.