Terminology For Basic Lab Op

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Manufacturers produce control sera that have been pooled from a large number of people. They then test this serum on a variety of different brands of instruments which measure for specific analytes, for example glucose or bilirubin. They then apply statistics to the hundreds of results obtained on each brand of instrument and determine the mean value/result which should be obtained using each of these brands of instruments. They also determine an acceptable range of values which may be obtained using this control serum on each given brand of instrument. The technologist then tests this control serum along with the patient samples to monitor the accuracy and precision of their specific instrument.

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Acceptable control range

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The degree to which a result/value reflect the true value of an analyte.

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Accuracy

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Decrease in blood pH

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Acidosis

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The phase of a disease when the symptoms are usually most acute or severe. This is frequently early in the disease before the body has had a chance to mount an adequate immune response. During this phase there are certain chemical which increase in concentration in the serum. These acute phase proteins vary in function but all are important in defense and repair.

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Acute phase

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Most additives that are added to blood specimens are anticoagulants. These anticoagulants vary in the way they work but each interferes with the coagulation of blood/clotting of blood. Blood specimens are collected in anticoagulants when the red and white cells need to remain in the solution or when the liquid phase of the blood needs to contain the clotting factors. Plasma is the liquid portion of blood that contains the active clotting factors. Serum is the liquid portion of blood after the clotting factors have been used up in the formation of a clot.

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Additives/Anticoagulants:

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Infectious particles that are airborne. Usually this occurs when droplets of infectious material are sprayed into the air during the uncapping of tubes, centrifugation of open tubes, or spilling of specimens.

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Aerosols

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When antibodies react with particulate antigen, such as red cells, they form agglutinates. It is an indication that an antigen/antibody reaction has occurred.

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Agglutination

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Usually refers to the positioning of the parts of an optical system so that the light flows through the path optimally. This is critical in both microscopes and the optical systems of many instruments.

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Alignment

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One part of an equal number of parts. The term is usually used when talking about dispensing set volumes of liquid into a variety of tubes or other containers.

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Aliquot

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Increase in blood pH.

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Alkalosis

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Variants of a gene for a particular trait. For example A, B, & O are all alleles or variant genes of the ABO blood group system.

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Alleles

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Patients, who are mobile, can ambulate. Usually refers to outpatients or clinic patients.

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Ambulatory patients

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Law which requires that reasonable accommodations be made for individuals with disabilities so that they can work in a facility.

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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

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Frequently this refers to materials in urine that have the potential to form crystals. In the amorphous state these materials are no longer dissolved in solution but have begun to precipitate out. At this point they have not begun to form as crystals but are “amorphous” – without shape.

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Amorphous material

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These are usually more expensive balances that designed to weigh substances with a high degree of accuracy. They are frequently used in the preparation of standards or reagents that require a critical, specific concentration.

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Analytical balance

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Any condition that results in a decrease in circulating red cells/hemoglobin concentration and therefore decreased oxygen carrying capacity.

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Anemia

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Proteins in plasma and other body fluids formed in response to antigenic stimulation. They react specifically with the antigen which stimulated their production.

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Antibody

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A measure of the antibody activity present in plasma/serum. Is measured by serially diluting the serum and testing it with the appropriate antigen. The reciprocal of the highest dilution of the serum which gives a 1+ or greater reaction is said to be the antibody’s titer.

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Antibody titer

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Substances which can be added to blood specimens to prevent the coagulation of blood or the activation of the coagulation cascade. Examples include EDTA, sodium citrate, and heparin

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Anticoagulant

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Substances present on cells, in plasma or other body fluids as well as foreign cells that mark them as distinct. They permit the human body’s immune system to distinguish self from non-self. The immune system responds to the presence on non-self antigens by producing antibodies and cellular immunity.

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Antigen

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Devices that can be used to repeatedly and accurately measure volumes of liquids. Usually designed to measure relatively small volumes accurately. Involve use of disposable tips in which the sample is contained.

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Automatic pipette

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The process of making certain that the weight of the samples being centrifuged is evenly distributed around the rotor of the centrifuge. This permits the rotor to move evenly in a circular fashion and prevents damage to the centrifuge as well as breakage of the sample containers.

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Balancing the Centrifuge

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An optical reading device such as found in most grocery stores that converts a series of black lines into a sequence of numbers or letters for entry into a computer. In the laboratory is used to identify samples by the name of the patient, his/her hospital identification number, and the type of test being requested.

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Bar-code readers

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The series of black lines and spaces which can be read by an electronic scanner. Is attached to a patient’s specimen or hard copy of test requested. It can be read electronically into the computer.

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Bar coding

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Devices such as gloves, gowns, and glasses that can be used to protect the individual from contact exposure with blood and other specimens. Also known as Personal protective devices

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Barrier precautions

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Any group or collection of specimens on which a test is performed at any one time. This usually also includes positive and negative controls as well as standards to monitor the accuracy and precision of the test results obtained.

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Batch or run

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This includes devices such as the glucometer that can be take to the patient’s bedside or used by the patient on an outpatient basis to perform a single test rapidly. This is also known as Point of Care Testing.

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Bedside testing

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A symbol indicating that the contents may contain an infectious agent. We usually use the red bags/boxes with the black triangle to denote this.

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Biohazard symbol

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A standardized method used by most facilities in the U.S. to denote that the material may be infectious. Usually the material contained in these has been contaminated with blood or some other contaminated body fluid. Special care should be taken so that anything that has sharp points and is potentially contaminated goes into plastic box containers with lids that cannot be removed, so that people disposing of this material are not accidentally exposed.

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Biohazard container

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This is a cabinet workspace for use in handling the more infectious types of agents. It usually has a negative air pressure so that any aerosols generated within the area are not blown out into the room but are pulled into the cabinet and vented outside the room.

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Biosafety cabinet

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Infectious agents that are known to be transmitted via exposure to infected blood/plasma/serum.

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Blood-borne pathogens

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This agency offers a certifying examination at the national level for clinical laboratory scientists, clinical laboratory technicians, specialist in blood banking. The agency is a “branch” of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP).

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Board of Registry

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Fluids normally present in the human such as: cerebrospinal, pleural, abdominal, pericardial, peritoneal, and synovial fluid.

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Body Cavity Fluids

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This is a thin, white layer found between the red cell fraction and the plasma fraction of an anticoagulated whole blood specimen following centrifugation. This lay contains white cells and platelets.

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Buffy coat

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The steps taken to determine/confirm that glassware, pipettes, instruments will measure a specific unit of a sample or reagent.

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Calibration

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A mark on volumetric glassware that indicates the point from which the volume is measured. Similar marks are found on beakers and graduated cylinders but these types of glassware are not intended to indicate as accurate a volume of measurement.

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Calibration mark

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CAP (college of American pathologists) provides this program to laboratories as a means of ensuring that quality assurance is assured via the manner in which the lab is organized and managed. The CAP also inspects laboratories to ensure that appropriate techniques and organization are in place to ensure that the patient results can be relied on to be used in patient care.

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CAP quality assurance program

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Capillary or peripheral blood is most commonly collected from the fingers of young people and adults or heels in babies. This technique is used when the amount of specimen required is small or in the case of babies the total blood volume is limited and you want to withdraw the minimal amount needed.

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Capillary blood

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Usually plastic or glass. A small tube used to collect limited volumes of blood via finger or heel sticks.

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Capillary pipette

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Substances that have been demonstrated to have the ability to cause cancerous growths in living tissue.

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Carcinogens

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The national center responsible for carrying out public health laws, reporting infectious diseases or other threats to the public health and investigating potential disease outbreaks.

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Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

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: In all cases where laboratory results are potentially going to be used in a legal case, there must be a specific documented chain of evidence that indicates the who, when, how, and why of sample collection, transport, test performance, sample storage, generation of results, and transmission of results to the appropriate persons.

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Chain of custody