The following lists the laboratory tests with critical test results. Critical test results are informed by telephone to the requesting physician and the communication recorded in the laboratory test report and in the laboratory information system.
Clinical Biochemistry
| Test | Values | Units |
| Potassium | < 2.5 or > 5.7 | mmol/L |
Sodium
| < 120 or > 160 | mmol/L |
| Calcium | < 1.75 or > 3.25 | mmol/L |
| Glucose | < 2.5 or > 25.0 | mmol/L |
| pH (blood gas) | < 7.1 or > 7.6 | |
| Calcium, ionised | < 0.80 or > 1.60 | mmol/L |
| Digoxin | > 2.4 | µg/L |
| Theophylline | > 20 | mg/L |
| Paracetamol | Inform all results | mg/L |
| Salicylate | Inform all results | mmol/L |
| Ketone, blood | > 1.4 | mmol/L |
| Lithium | > 2.0
| mmol/L |
| Bilirubin (neonates only) | > 299 | µmol/L |
| Amikacin | > 35 | mg/L |
| Gentamicin | > 15 | mg/L |
| Phenobarbital | > 40 | mg/L |
| Phenytoin | > 20 | mg/L |
| Valproic acid | > 100 | mg/L |
| Vancomycin | > 80 | mg/L |
Haematology
| Test | Values | Units |
| APTT | > 100 | seconds |
| INR | > 5.0 | |
| Haemoglobin (for Adult) | < 6.0 or > 20.0 | g/dL |
| Haemoglobin (Newborn) | < 6.0 or > 25.0 | g/dL |
| WBC | < 1.0 or > 50.0 x 109 | /L |
| Platelets | < 20 or > 800 x 109 | /L |
| Malarial Parasites | Positive | |
| Fibrinogen | < 0.9 or > 7.8 | g/L |
| New cases of leukaemia | | |
Combination of strong positives (++) for glucose and ketones
when dipstick is ordered | | |
Microbiology
- First time AFB smear positive specimens
- Microscopic examination of positive blood culture broths
- VZV IgM, VZV antigen positive in pregnant women at term, newborns, immunocompromised patients, infected Healthcare Worker (HCW) / patients in contact with immunocompromised patients/newborns, adults with pneumonia
- HSV antigen, HSV IgM positive in viral encephalitis, newborns, pregnant women in labour, immunocompromised patients
- Antibody positive to any neurotropic virus – when a titer is ≥ 8 in a CSF sample
- Sars-CoV IgM/ Sars-CoV isolation/ MERS-CoV isolation/ Influenza A (H5) in any new case
Molecular
- All positive results for cerebrospinal fluid
- Positive result for Avian influenza H5 or H7N9 PCR
- Positive result for MERS coronavirus PCR
- Positive result for Mpox PCR
- Positive result for Yellow fever/Japanese encephalitis/other non-endemic flavivirus
