After a patient completes dialysis, which lab value is expected to show improvement?

Following dialysis, it is anticipated that the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level will show improvement. This is because dialysis is designed to remove excess waste products from the bloodstream, one of which is urea. Urea is a waste product formed from the breakdown of proteins in the body and is typically elevated in patients with kidney dysfunction.

During dialysis, the process effectively filters the blood, removing excess urea and other waste products, which results in decreased levels of BUN. A reduction in BUN levels post-dialysis signifies that the treatment has successfully cleared the accumulated waste from the patient’s body, helping to restore a more normal metabolic balance.

Improvement in other lab values, such as potassium, calcium, and ammonia, may occur as well, but these are more variable and dependent on the patient's overall condition, dietary intake, and medical management beyond dialysis itself. Therefore, the most direct and expected improvement in laboratory values immediately following dialysis is a decrease in BUN.