Where can I get laboratory normal values and ranges for laboratory tests in the MIMIC database - tests like hematocrit, red blood cell count, bicarbonate, blood urea nitrogen, etc.?
Specifically from the hospitals associated with the database. I have data from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso and there, like almost anywhere else where normal values are published, there is the qualification
Note: The reference values provided in these tables should be used as guidelines only. Reference values vary based on several factors, including the demographics of the healthy population from which specimens were obtained and the specific methods and/or instruments used to assay these specimens.
Laboratories that are accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) are required to establish and/or validate their own reference values at least annually. Thus, any given result should be interpreted based on the reference value of the laboratory in which the test was done; the laboratory typically provides these values with the test result.
I am noting discrepancies in normal ranges and mean ranges from the MIMIC database for some of the laboratory tests, in particular hematocrit, hemoglobin, red blood cell count and blood urea nitrogen (BUN), while the majority of the tests like sodium, potassium, etc fall within accepted normal ranges.
