Basic metabolic panel
Encyclopedia
A basic metabolic panel (BMP) is a set of seven or eight blood chemical tests. It is one of the most common lab tests ordered by health care providers. It provides key information that has a variety of applications in guiding the medical management of a patient. For example, values can be used to assess and monitor a patient's fluid and electrolyte status, kidney function, blood sugar levels, and response to various medications and other medical therapies. It is also frequently employed as a screening tool to look for problems that might need to be addressed, as many disease processes can cause a derangement in the blood serum levels of basic metabolites.
Calcium
(Ca2+) is often considered part of the BMP, though, by definition, it is not part of the CHEM-7. A basic metabolic panel including calcium is sometimes colloquially referred to as a "CHEM-8".
Glucose (and sometimes calcium, magnesium
, and phosphorus
) are listed to the right of this grid, but there is greater variation in how these values are reported.
The Chem-7 is drawn in a green topped vacuum tube and sent to chemistry
Components
The version with seven tests is often referred to by medical professionals in USA as the "CHEM-7", or "SMA-7" (Sequential Multiple Analysis-7). The seven parts of a CHEM-7 are tests for:- Four electrolyteElectrolyteIn chemistry, an electrolyte is any substance containing free ions that make the substance electrically conductive. The most typical electrolyte is an ionic solution, but molten electrolytes and solid electrolytes are also possible....
s:- sodiumSodiumSodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
(Na+) - potassiumPotassiumPotassium is the chemical element with the symbol K and atomic number 19. Elemental potassium is a soft silvery-white alkali metal that oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive with water, generating sufficient heat to ignite the hydrogen emitted in the reaction.Potassium and sodium are...
(K+) - chlorideChlorideThe chloride ion is formed when the element chlorine, a halogen, picks up one electron to form an anion Cl−. The salts of hydrochloric acid HCl contain chloride ions and can also be called chlorides. The chloride ion, and its salts such as sodium chloride, are very soluble in water...
(Cl−) - bicarbonateBicarbonateIn inorganic chemistry, bicarbonate is an intermediate form in the deprotonation of carbonic acid...
(HCO3−) or CO2
- sodium
- blood urea nitrogenBlood urea nitrogenThe blood urea nitrogen test is a measure of the amount of nitrogen in the blood in the form of urea, and a measurement of renal function. Urea is a by- product from metabolism of proteins by the liver and is removed from the blood by the kidneys.-Physiology:The liver produces urea in the urea...
(BUN)
- creatinineCreatinineCreatinine is a break-down product of creatine phosphate in muscle, and is usually produced at a fairly constant rate by the body...
- glucoseGlucoseGlucose is a simple sugar and an important carbohydrate in biology. Cells use it as the primary source of energy and a metabolic intermediate...
Calcium
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
(Ca2+) is often considered part of the BMP, though, by definition, it is not part of the CHEM-7. A basic metabolic panel including calcium is sometimes colloquially referred to as a "CHEM-8".
Reporting
These lab values are often listed in a standard grid:| Na+ | Cl− | >- | CO2 | creatinine |
Glucose (and sometimes calcium, magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
, and phosphorus
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. A multivalent nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus as a mineral is almost always present in its maximally oxidized state, as inorganic phosphate rocks...
) are listed to the right of this grid, but there is greater variation in how these values are reported.
The Chem-7 is drawn in a green topped vacuum tube and sent to chemistry
See also
- Blood testBlood testA blood test is a laboratory analysis performed on a blood sample that is usually extracted from a vein in the arm using a needle, or via fingerprick....
- Reference ranges for common blood testsReference ranges for common blood testsReference ranges for blood tests are sets of values used by a health professional to interpret a set of medical test results from blood samples....
- Comprehensive metabolic panelComprehensive metabolic panelThe comprehensive metabolic panel, or chemical screen, is a panel of 14 blood tests which serves as an initial broad screening tool for physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants...