Physician's Briefing Weekly Coronavirus Roundup. American College of Surgeons, Oct. Related articles. Trending topics. Wellness A-Z. Basophils help to intensify inflammation. Inflammation makes blood vessels leaky.
This helps specialised white blood cells get to where they are needed. Lymphocytes have a variety of different functions. They attack viruses and other germs pathogens. They also make antibodies which help to destroy pathogens. These are tiny and help the blood to clot if we cut ourselves. Our picks for Blood Tests.
How to prepare for a blood test A blood test is one of the most common medical tests and is a good way to get a picture of your How to prepare for a blood test. What is a full blood count - and what can it tell us? How to get over a fear of blood tests.
Want to speak to a pharmacist? Book a private telephone consultation with a local pharmacist today Book now. Next article Blood Groups and Types. Are you protected against flu? Further reading and references. Why can't gay men give blood? Join the discussion on the forums.
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Paracentesis Abdominal Tap. Abdominal Film X-Ray. In these cases, the samples go in test tubes lined with Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid EDTA , a chemical that prevents clotting. Blood samples also need to be kept at the right temperature, which will vary according to what is being tested.
Specific components of the blood may need to be isolated for certain tests. In these cases, whole blood needs to be separated into its three main components: plasma, white blood cells and platelets, and red blood cells. This separation is achieved through centrifugation , the method of separating lighter and denser portions of a mixture by centrifugal force.
If the tests call for it, the test tube with your blood sample will be placed in a device called a "centrifuge. After centrifugation, you can see the blood separated into three layers. The lighter components plasma naturally end up on top. Specific components of the blood can now be isolated, transferred into another container, and analyzed individually.
Transferring blood components is also a delicate process. Biosafety practices have been established to protect blood samples and the people handling them. To prevent contamination, test tubes typically should be opened in a biological safety cabinet BSC , or biosafety cabinet, — an enclosed and ventilated desk space designed for working with materials that have the potential to contaminate or be contaminated with pathogens.
There are three types of biosafety cabinets for different types of tests. Air circulates in these cabinets as it flows from the bottom and gets sucked up at the top, so no air can enter or escape. This protects the interior of the cabinet from external contaminators and prevents any pathogens from escaping the cabinet.
Once the blood samples have been centrifuged and transferred to a proper container, as needed, they are transported to a regional lab for analysis. This can be quite a journey; the samples are driven by car to an airport, flown to another city—possibly traveling hundreds of miles—and driven again to their final destination.
As you can imagine, the commute will expose blood samples to all sorts of bumps, shocks, and temperature fluctuations, so proper packaging is essential to keep the blood samples secure.
Packaging blood samples for transport may involve details like using the right containers, tight caps and lids, special transport bags and boxes, and proper labels and seals. Frozen samples should be transported in plastic -screw-cap containers only, and will be shipped with ice to remain frozen until they reach the laboratory 7. This is important because analysis cannot be done on thawed samples.
Dry ice is used for longer distances. As you can see, a lot goes into just moving blood samples across locations. Different tests are designed to analyze various components of your blood and assess certain aspects of your health. Whole blood is used to count red blood cells, while plasma is separated from blood cells by centrifugation to undergo other tests 3.
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