Urinalysis ChemStrip Manual Procedure

Urinalysis ChemStrip Manual Procedure
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Urinalysis

Urinalysis is the process in which a urine specimen is given by person to evaluate the contents of his or her urine. Testing the urine is a good way for a physician to initially detect if someone has a health disorder such as diabetes or a kidney infection. Urinalysis can also be used to monitor treatment of a medical disorder. It is always recommended to do urine testing on a fresh specimen of urine, as some substances can break down if the urine sample is left untested for too long.

The ChemStrip

When discussing the urinalysis ChemStrip manual procedure, it can be seen that the ChemStrip is a product name for a chemical reagent strip. A chemical reagent strip is used in hospitals, laboratories and medical clinics to test the urine for a specific chemical or substance. Depending on what is being tested, the ChemStrip can have one strip to a number of strips for testing urine. Some substances urine is tested for include protein, bacteria, blood, glucose, and ketones.

The Strips & Procedure

Depending on what is being tested, the medical professional will open the ChemStrip container and remove one of the dipsticks from the bottle. This dipstick will have a strip of each substance to be tested for, if multiple testing is being done. The strip will change from a pale color to a dark color to indicate the substance is present in urine.

The most common strip is for the “pH” of the urine. A medical professional will use the urinalysis ChemStrip manual procedure to test the pH to determine a problem within the kidneys. This strip measures how much acid is in the sample. If the urine is acidic, the strip will change from a pale orange strip to a green to blue color.

Another strip used in testing is the test for protein. Protein in the form of albumin within the urine can change the strip from light green to greenish blue if it is positive.

Glucose and ketones are also measured by urinalysis. These tests are common tests for diagnosis and monitoring diabetes. An enzyme is contained within the strip for glucose and the colors go from green to brown if the test is positive for glucose. Therefore, when testing for ketones, the strip will change from pink to a deep purple indicating their presence.

The dipstick can also be used to test for the presence of blood in urine. The presence of blood is positive if the strip changes from the colors of orange to blue during testing.

References

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education & Research. “Urinalysis.” 2010. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/urinalysis/MY00488

University of Texas Medical Branch. “Urinalysis, ChemStrip (BMC) and Multistix (Bayer).” 2009. Available at: https://www.utmb.edu/poc/SOP/2009/SOPUA%2002-09.pdf