Critical values may imply a life-threatening situation for the patient and are brought to the immediate attention of the physician and/or the patient care area responsible for the patient. (See Critical Values Notification Procedure in the Results section)
The critical values currently in use at Rush Medical Laboratories are listed below. The current critical values were established by consensus of attending physicians and/or medical directors of the hospital's critical and emergency care units, approved by the Director of Rush Medical Laboratories, and are reviewed and changed as directed by these physicians. Please address concerns regarding critical value policies to the appropriate member of the Rush Medical Laboratories professional staff as listed in the staff directory. All concerns will be promptly addressed.
Each test on the attached list has an upper and/or lower critical value. It is possible to set additional critical values according to age group or sex, but not according to patient location or staff responsible for patient care. Once critical values for a test is established, laboratory staff are required to follow protocol for notification when critical results are obtained.