Laboratory Services and Radiology

At Mount Sinai’s emergency center, our team of board-certified emergency medicine physicians apply their specialized training to rapidly diagnose and treat patients facing serious, even life-threatening illnesses and injuries. In addition, our doctors and care providers rely on specialized resources to ensure Emergency Department (ED) patients receive care quickly with the best outcomes possible.

Laboratory Services

Many visits to a Mount Sinai emergency center require lab tests, the results of which help our physicians make decisions about your care. Our laboratory can rapidly process and evaluate blood, urine, and other tests, often as a first step in the emergency diagnostic process. Patients generally require the following types of lab tests:

• Cardiac enzyme testing: Cardiac enzyme testing is a blood test that measures certain biological markers to find early signs of heart attacks or heart issues.
• Chemistries (electrolytes, glucose, etc.): A blood test conducted to determine the health of a person based on several major body organs.
• Complete blood count (CBC): CBC tests analyze characteristics of your blood, including measuring red blood cells, white blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelets.
• COVID-19: We use all current testing types, including PCR and antigen testing to determine if a patient has COVID-19. Currently, COVID-19 testing is a regular part of most emergency center visits.
• Drug screening: In a drug screening, blood, urine, hair, or saliva is collected and analyzed to find signs of chemicals from drug usage.
• Kidney function testing: Kidney function tests measure the kidneys’ efficiency and ability to remove waste from your system to ensure they are functioning properly.
• Liver function testing: These blood tests help diagnose and monitor liver disease or liver damage. Liver function tests analyze the liver’s ability to produce protein, remove bilirubin, and release enzymes.
• Pregnancy testing: Blood or urine can be used to detect the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), also known as the pregnancy hormone, which only appears during pregnancy.
• STD testing: These tests detect the presence of a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and can be performed with a urine test, cheek swab, or blood test.
• Strep/flu/mono/RSV testing: Testing for these common respiratory illnesses involves swabbing the back of the throat or nose to determine the presence certain viruses or bacteria.
• TSH testing: A thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) test is a blood test to determine the well-being and functions of the thyroid.
• Urinalysis: A urinalysis is a urine test that detects a range of conditions from the appearance, concentration, and content of urine.

Radiology

Imaging tests allow the doctors in our emergency centers to see abnormalities inside your body. From broken bones to masses to internal bleeding, radiologic imaging has become a valuable tool in diagnosing illness and injury in the emergency department. At Mount Sinai, we use state-of-the art imaging technology to limit radiation exposure while providing detailed pictures to make the most accurate diagnosis.

• CT scans: Computerized tomography (CT) scans compile hundreds of X-ray images to create a cross-sectional view of the body, allowing for a stunningly detailed, three-dimensional view of soft tissue, bones, and blood vessels.
• Digital X-ray: Digital X-rays eliminate the old-fashioned film processing and use digital imaging instead. As a result, our radiologists can manipulate images to zoom in on certain parts of the X-ray to better visualize irregularities.
• MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses powerful magnets and computer-generated radio waves to create detailed images of the human body. An MRI is particularly useful for examining soft tissue and like ultrasound imaging, it does not use any radiation.
• Ultrasound imaging: Ultrasound imaging is a form of sonography that uses sound waves to create images of the structures inside the body. We also use ultrasound to see inside the body when we conduct other tests, especially tests that require us to insert needles into delicate areas. Ultrasound does not use any radiation, so it’s completely safe, even for pregnant women.