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Christina Rafano explains creatinine, a waste product from muscle breakdown that kidneys filter out. Normal range is 0.6–1.2 mg/dL. High levels signal kidney damage; low levels suggest low muscle mass or a vegetarian diet.
Christina Rafano explains creatinine, a waste product from muscle breakdown that kidneys filter out. Normal range is 0.6–1.2 mg/dL. High levels signal kidney damage; low levels suggest low muscle mass or a vegetarian diet.
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 will break down what you need to know about creatinine for nursing school. Plus, I'm going to walk you through some critical thinking points about it as well. So that'll be really good for you in nursing school. And be sure to stick around until the end of the video because, of course, I've got a free cheat sheet just for you to help you out with lab values in nursing school. Now, let's do this. Okay, so what exactly is creatinine? Right? Except for a big, scary word that your professors throw in 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 muscles, right? Well, creatinine is just a waste product of you constantly using your muscles. It's a byproduct of. 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 that waste product of this process. So when muscle breaks down, creatinine is created as a waste product. So that's all that it is. So as this process happens, creatinine is released into the bloodstream. And so that's what we're testing when we test for creatinine. We're actually testing creatinine level of the blood. Now, I know you're thinking right about now, wait a minute. I thought creatinine had to do with the kidneys, not the muscles. And you, my friend, are a thousand percent right. 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? It's gonna go up, it's gonna increase. And that is awesome critical thinking right there. You know that creatinine is created as a waste product of muscle metabolism. And you know that the kidneys are in charge of excreting it. So that means that if the kidneys are damaged and they can't get rid of it, the blood creatinine level will rise. So this test is primarily used to check for kidney fun. So a normal creatinine level is between 0.6 and 1.2 milligrams per deciliter. So if that value is much higher than normal, I want you to be thinking, what is going on with those kidneys? And of course, there are some times where the creatinine level might be lower than normal. And these could be times like when someone is a vegetarian and maybe doesn't eat a lot of protein or meat, so their creatine levels would be lower and therefore their creatinine levels would be lower. The same goes for 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 lower 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 for lab values. And be sure to check out the other lab value videos we have so that you can rock your labs at clinical and 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 creatinine situation as well. And don't forget to subscribe and hit that 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 and I'll catch you right back here next time on the Nursing School Show. Take care of.
