The phone rang, and it was a nurse from one of the floors.
She asked, “Can you run a peak gentamicin level using the patient’s last blood draw?”
I opened the patient’s chart to see what specimen she was referring to. After checking the collection times and orders, I noticed the last sample had actually been collected for a trough gentamicin level.
There was a brief pause before I answered…
“I could… but it would still be the trough.” 😄
Peak and trough levels aren’t determined by the analyzer—they’re determined by when the specimen is collected. Timing is everything!
Submitted by:
Lori Marzick
Medical Laboratory Scientist
Oregon, USA
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