Where can I get liver, kidney and electrolyte tests in Vasco?

Medically reviewed by our consultant obstetrician & gynaecologist (MBBS, MS OBG). Last reviewed: 2 November 2026.

What do liver, kidney and electrolyte tests check?

These three groups of blood tests are often ordered together. They show how two working organs, the liver and the kidneys, are coping, and whether the salts in the blood are in balance. All three are done in-house, on automated analysers, in the Pai Hospital Laboratory.

• Liver function test (LFT). How the liver is handling bile, and whether liver cells are under strain.
• Kidney function test (KFT, also called renal function test). How well the kidneys are clearing waste from the blood.
• Electrolytes. The level of sodium, potassium and chloride, the salts the body needs for its nerves, muscles and heartbeat.

For the full list of tests done at the laboratory, see the Pai Hospital Laboratory in Vasco.

What is in a liver function test?

A liver function test is a panel of several lines on one report. It usually includes:

• Bilirubin (total, direct and indirect). Bilirubin is a yellow pigment made when old red cells are broken down. The liver clears it into the bile. When it builds up, the skin and eyes can turn yellow (jaundice).
• SGPT (ALT) and SGOT (AST). Enzymes that sit inside liver cells. They rise in the blood when liver cells are irritated or damaged, for example by a viral infection, alcohol, fatty liver or some medicines. SGOT is also found in muscle, so the doctor reads the two together.
• Alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Rises when the flow of bile is blocked, and also with bone growth. It is normally higher in pregnancy, because the placenta makes it too.
• Total protein, albumin and globulin. Albumin is a protein made by the liver. A low level can come from long-standing liver disease, poor nutrition, or protein lost through the kidneys.

Some doctors also ask for GGT, another bile-related enzyme, along with the panel. The exact lines on your report depend on what the doctor has asked for.

What is in a kidney function test?

• Urea. A waste product from the breakdown of protein. It can rise when the kidneys are not clearing well, and also with dehydration, a high-protein diet or bleeding in the stomach.
• Creatinine. A waste product from muscle, made at a fairly steady rate. Because of this, creatinine is the main blood marker the doctor uses to judge kidney function. Your report may also show an eGFR, an estimate of kidney filtering worked out from creatinine, age and sex.
• Uric acid. Made when the body breaks down purines, found in cells and in some foods. A high level can be linked with gout and kidney stones. In pregnancy, the doctor may check it along with blood pressure.

Many reports list sodium, potassium and chloride under kidney function as well, because the kidneys keep these salts in balance.

What are sodium, potassium and chloride?

• Sodium. Keeps the right amount of water in and around the cells. A low sodium can cause tiredness, headache, confusion or fits. It can follow severe vomiting or diarrhoea, drinking very large amounts of water, and some medicines such as water tablets (diuretics).
• Potassium. Needed for muscles and for a steady heartbeat. Both a low and a high potassium can disturb the heart rhythm, so the doctor acts on it quickly. A falsely high potassium can appear if the blood cells break in the tube; the laboratory may ask for a fresh sample if this happens.
• Chloride. Usually moves along with sodium and helps the doctor understand the body's acid-base balance.

Electrolytes are checked when there is vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration, weakness, a drip running for many hours, or a heart, kidney or hormone condition. Because the laboratory is open 24 hours, every day, these tests are available for admitted patients and emergencies, including at night.

Why are these tests checked before surgery?

Before a planned operation, such as a laparoscopic or open gynaecological surgery, the doctor and the anaesthetist usually ask for blood tests. Liver and kidney function and electrolytes are often among them, especially for older patients and for anyone with diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney or liver disease, or on long-term medicines. They help the team:

• choose anaesthesia medicines and painkillers that the liver and kidneys can clear safely;
• find a low or high potassium or sodium and correct it before the operation;
• plan the fluids given through the drip during and after surgery;
• keep a starting value to compare with, if tests are repeated after the operation.

Read more about anaesthesia during gynaecological surgery and the day of a laparoscopic hysterectomy. For the surgery itself, see laparoscopic surgery in Goa.

Why does the doctor check them when I take medicines?

Most medicines are cleared from the body by the liver, the kidneys or both. When a medicine is taken for months or years, the doctor may repeat these tests from time to time, to see that the body is handling it well. Examples include:

• water tablets (diuretics) and some blood pressure medicines, which can change sodium and potassium;
• some diabetes medicines, which the doctor may adjust if kidney function changes;
• regular painkillers, which can strain the kidneys when taken often;
• some medicines for tuberculosis, epilepsy, cholesterol or thyroid, and some hormone treatments, which the doctor may follow with a liver function test.

Do not stop or change a medicine on your own because of a report. Show the report to the doctor who prescribed the medicine.

Are they checked in pregnancy?

Yes, when the doctor needs them. In pregnancy, a liver function test may be asked for when there is itching, especially of the palms and soles, or when there is high blood pressure. Kidney function and uric acid may be checked in high blood pressure of pregnancy, and electrolytes when there is severe vomiting. Some values are normally different in pregnancy, so the doctor reads them with that in mind. See high-risk pregnancy and pregnancy danger signs.

Do I need to fast for these tests?

Usually not. Liver function, kidney function and electrolytes can usually be done at any time of day. They are often ordered together with a fasting blood sugar or a lipid profile; in that case, come without food and give all the samples together. Plain water is allowed. Keep taking your regular medicines unless the doctor tells you otherwise.

For how long to fast, what to bring and how a report is laid out, see blood test preparation and reports.

Why might the doctor also ask for a urine test?

A urine routine examination is a simple way to look at the kidneys from another side. Protein, sugar, blood or pus cells in the urine can point the doctor towards a kidney problem, diabetes or an infection. At the Pai Hospital Laboratory, urine routine is done in-house on an automated urine analyser, and urine culture with antibiotic sensitivity is done in-house too. Read about urine tests and cultures at the laboratory.

How are the results checked and how soon are they ready?

These tests run on automated analysers. Every day, before patient reports are released, the laboratory runs quality-control samples to check that each analyser is reading correctly. Most routine reports are usually ready within hours. Specialised tests that are sent to a partner laboratory take longer; the laboratory will tell you when to expect them.

Some related tests your doctor may add, such as HbA1c, vitamin B12, iron studies or thyroid antibodies, are available at the laboratory; some are sent to a partner laboratory and take longer.

What if a liver or kidney value is outside the range?

The reference ranges are printed on your report, beside each value. A value slightly outside the range is not always a problem, and a value inside it does not rule everything out. Ranges can differ with age, sex, pregnancy and the method used. Your treating doctor reads the report together with your symptoms, your examination and your other results, and may repeat a test to see the trend.

For how a report is laid out, see blood test preparation and reports.

Where is the laboratory?

On the ground floor, inside Pai Hospital, Vaddem, Vasco-da-Gama, Goa. It is open 24 hours, every day. Directions are on our contact page. Call or WhatsApp the laboratory to check a test or ask about preparation before you come. For a doctor's opinion on your report, see a gynaecologist in Vasco. Written and reviewed by the Pai Hospital Team.

Or call +91 77989 73345

This page is for general education and is not personal medical advice. Treatment depends on your own examination and reports, so please speak to a doctor about your situation. We do not carry out or offer sex determination of any kind.