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Bilirubin Fluid Test Overview
A bilirubin fluid test is used by doctors to measure the amount of bilirubin in your body fluids. The body fluids tested are namely pleural, peritoneal, and biliary fluid. The goal of this test is to understand if bilirubin is leaking into your body fluids as it could mean improper liver function or liver damage.
Bilirubin is created when red blood cells break down. It is then chemically altered by the liver to be excreted out with stool. For a bilirubin fluid test the levels of both direct and indirect bilirubin levels are tested, allowing doctors to get a complete analysis of total bilirubin levels in body fluids.
A bilirubin fluid test is prescribed by doctors when they suspect patients to have liver problems or suspect liver damage. Symptoms that could warrant doctors to prescribe a bilirubin fluid test include:
Vomiting and nausea
Abdominal swelling and pain
Inflammation in lower extremities
Yellowing of the skin
Dark urine and pale stool
The normal range of bilirubin fluid test differs between the different fluids being tested. For peritoneal fluid, the normal range of bilirubin is 0.7 to 0.8 mg/dL. For pleural fluid, the normal range is expressed in a ratio of less than 0.6 compared to the bilirubin content in serum samples. Based on the test results, doctors can diagnose several health conditions including bile duct perforation and biliary leakage.
As a body fluid test, it is performed by using techniques like abdominal and pleural tap. Doctors use a local anaesthetic to numb the area and insert a long hollow needle to draw body fluids. The samples are then carefully stored and sent for testing without exposing them to any light or sunlight. There are no special prerequisite measures patients need to follow for this bilirubin body fluid test.