WORDS TO KNOW...

Blood bank (Immuno-hematology) is the study of red blood cells, antigens and antibodies reactions associated with
blood transfusions.
Clinical chemistry involves the biochemical analysis of body fluids for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
Clinical laboratory is a healthcare facility providing a wide range of laboratory procedures which aid the physicians in
carrying out the diagnosis, treatment, and management of patients.
Hematology department provides assessment and treatment for patients with blood diseases.
Laboratory aid assists the laboratory manager by conducting tests and cleaning lab equipment.
Laboratory manager uses his/hers managerial skills and knowledge of safety and lab procedures to ensure that
laboratories operate smoothly.
Medical laboratory assistant assists lab technologists and physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases by
performing tests on tissue, blood and other body fluids.
Medical laboratory technologist performs complex tests that help other healthcare professionals such as physicians
detect, diagnose, and treat diseases.
Microbiology department provides assessment and treatment for patients with infectious diseases.
Pathologist is a physician in the medical field who studies the causes, nature, and effects of disease.
Report is spoken or written account of something that one has observed, heard, done, or investigated.
Requisition is an actual paperwork, such as a form, which is provided to a clinical diagnostic laboratory that identifies
the test or tests to be performed for a patient.
LAB TERMINOLOGY
AC ante cibum before meals
Anemia is a medical condition in which the red blood cell count or the hemoglobin is less than normal.
Chemical element a substance that cannot be broken down into any simpler chemical substances and is made of
atoms all of the same type.
Cloned blood when a single stem cell acquires mutations that cause it to produce far more than its share of new
cells, including white blood cells. These genetically dominant blood cells are called clones.
Deionized (DI) water is water that has been treated to remove all ions, typically that means all of the dissolved
mineral salts.
Fecal occult blood (FOB) refers to blood in the feces that is not visibly apparent (unlike other types of blood in stool
such as melena or hematochezia).
Hematoma is a collection of blood outside of a blood vessel. Hematomas are caused by injury to the wall of a blood
vessel, which pushes blood out to surrounding tissues.
Hemolysis is the rupture or destruction of red blood cells.
Heterogeneous diverse in character or content
Homogeneous the same kind or nature; essentially alike
Icteric (or the icterus index) is a measure of the yellow colour of serum.
In vitro when something is performed in vitro, it happens outside of a living organism.
In vivo “within the living.” It refers to work that’s performed in a whole, living organism.
Insidious proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects.
Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells.
Lipemic presence of a high concentration of lipids (or fats) in the blood.
PC post cibum after meals
Septicemia, or sepsis, is the clinical name for blood poisoning by bacteria.
STAT immediately
Supernatant is a floating layer on the surface above a sediment or precipitate.
Tortous full of twists, turns, or bends; twisting, winding, or crooked, tortuous blood vessel.
Whole blood is blood drawn directly from the body from which none of the components, such as plasma or platelets,
has been removed.
LAB EQUIPMENT
Autoclave is a machine that uses steam under pressure to kill harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi, and spores on items
that are placed inside a pressure vessel. The items are heated to an appropriate sterilization temperature for a given
amount of time
Automatic media processor dispenses sterilized liquid media into tubes, flasks, and Petrie dishes automatically,
eliminating the possibility of contamination of the culture media prior to use.
Automatic Pipettors - hand operated, piston type devices with disposable plastic tips which vary in capacity from 1
-1000 microliters. Used to pipette out small quantities of hazardous materials. Exact volume to be delivered is
determined by the user selecting a pre-set increment on the selection dial or by using a pre-set volume pipette.
Automatic tissue processor is a device that prepares tissue samples for sectioning and microscopic examination in
the diagnostic laboratory.
Balances are used extensively in laboratory work in order to obtain accurate and precise weight measurements.
Biological indicators are test systems that contain viable microorganisms with a defined resistance to a specific
sterilization process. They help monitor whether the necessary conditions were met to kill a specified number of
microorganisms for a given sterilization process.
Buffer is a solution that resists changes in pH when diluted, or when small amounts of strong acid or base is added to
it. It accomplishes this by having a built-in mechanism that counteracts the effect of adding acid or base by
neutralizing the H+ or OH- ions as it combines with them. Buffers are made by using a weak acid or a weak alkaline
with one of there salts. A common buffer used in chemistry, hematology, blood bank, and histology is a 0.1 mol/liter
solution of phosphate buffer.
Capillary tubes are small hollow glass rods that draw up fluid into their interior by capillary action. One end of the
capillary tube is placed in the liquid, and held in a horizontal position to allow the fluid to be drawn up. When
enough has been drawn up, a finger is placed over the open end to stop the capillary action. Capillary tubes are
commonly used for microhematocrit procedures, to collect blood from a skin puncture, or to draw up a small sample
of blood when preparing differential blood films. Capillary tubes may be plain or heparinized.
Centrifuge is an apparatus used to separate lighter portions of a solution, mixture or suspension from the heavier
portions by rotation at an extremely high speed (centrifugal force) i.e., - Separation of blood elements (RBCs, WBCs,
platelets) from plasma or serum. - Separation of formed elements in urine from its supernatant. The solution,
mixture, or suspension is poured into a tube and spun around at high speed. The portion that has a heavier specific
gravity will collect at the bottom of the tube. There are several types of centrifuges, which vary in specific purpose
and use.
Chelation means "to grab" or "to bind." When EDTA is injected into the veins, it "grabs" heavy metals and minerals
such as lead, mercury, copper, iron, arsenic, aluminum, and calcium and removes them from the body. Except as a
treatment for lead poisoning, chelation therapy is controversial and unproved.
Cylinders are all cylindrical flat-bottomed containers with intermediate graduations. Customary sizes are 10 mls to 2
liters. Suitable for measurements not requiring a high degree of accuracy (i.e., 24-hour urine measurements).
Deionization is the removal of ions from a solution using an ion exchange process. Deionization is used for water
purification and for medical purposes.
Desiccators are sealable enclosures containing desiccants used for preserving moisture-sensitive items such as cobalt
chloride paper for another use. A common use for desiccators is to protect chemicals which are hygroscopic or which
react with water from humidity.
Flasks are useful types of chemistry glassware for containing liquid and performing mixing, heating, cooling,
precipitation, condensation, and other processes.
Freezer is specifically designed piece of laboratory equipment that has a thermally insulated compartment for
preservation and storage of reagents and biological specimens at very low temperatures.
Hot air ovens are electrical devices which use dry heat to sterilize dry glassware, substances that are insoluble in
water (such as gels and lubricants), or dry chemicals and powders.
Hotplates and hotplate stirrers are benchtop laboratory tools that are used to heat evenly and mix various types of
liquids and solutions.
Incubator provides an environment of constant temperature to encourage growth of bacteria. Most bacteria that
cause disease in humans grow best at 37oC (98.6oF). If this temperature is not maintained, the cultures will either
die or stop growing. The temperature should be checked with an independent thermometer on a regular basis.
Microtome knife sharpener is an instrument for sharpening microtome knives and similar articles, having a honing
mechanism and a deburring or stropping mechanism, arranged on a housing which encloses motors for driving the
mechanisms.
pH meter is a delicate apparatus used to measure the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. The acidity of a solution
depends on the concentration of hydrogen ions in it.
Pipette washer is a large plastic or metal cylinder with tubing that hooks up to a regular lab sink faucet. The water
supply should be regulated so that the washer fills and drains with water 12 - 15 times per hour for 2 hours.vPipettes
are soaked in 1% hypochlorite.
Refrigerator is used to cool samples or specimens for preservation. They include refrigeration units for storing blood
plasma and other blood products, as well as vaccines and other medical or pharmaceutical supplies. Typically
operate from 2°C to 10°C.
Safety bulbs serve as a vacuum source for filling reagents through a pipette or pasteur pipette and also help control
the flow of liquid from the dropping bottle.
Safety cabinet is an enclosed, ventilated laboratory workspace for safely working with materials potentially
contaminated with pathogens or dangerous chemicals.
Sodium azide is a rapidly acting, potentially deadly chemical that exists as an odorless white solid. When it is mixed
with water or an acid, sodium azide changes rapidly to a toxic gas with a pungent (sharp) odor.
To Deliver pipettes are emptied of their contents by gravity flow only.
To Contain pipettes are emptied of their contents by gravity flow and the pipette must be rinsed of the contents.
Volumetric - related to or involving the measurement of volume.
Water bath is a thermostatically controlled metal tank used frequently in all lab departments. Water bath
temperatures are normally set at either 37°C (body temperature) or at 56°C. A daily log should be kept to ensure
that the temperature does not vary more that ±2oC. Waterbaths are used to heat reagents or body fluids which
cannot be exposed to direct flame or to rapid heating.
Weigh boats are usually disposable open containers, used for weighing samples. If not disposable, they must be
decontaminated, cleaned, and dried thoroughly to obtain accurate results.
 SPECIMEN PROCUREMENT
Anticoagulants are chemicals that prevent formation of blood clots.
Antecubital space anterior area of the elbow, elbow pit
Arterial blood gas (ABG) puncture is a blood test carried out by taking blood from an artery, rather than a vein. It is
performed so that an accurate measurement of oxygen and carbon dioxide levels can be obtained, which then
allows the patients oxygen to be delivered appropriately.
Arteries are the blood vessels that deliver oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the tissues of the body.
A butterfly needle is a device with plastic “wings” on either side of a hollow needle used to access the vein for
drawing blood or giving medications.
Capillaries are very tiny blood vessels, so small that a single red blood cell can barely fit through them. They help to
connect arteries and veins in addition to facilitating the exchange of certain elements between blood and tissues.
Capillary puncture is blood sampling, which refers to sampling blood from a puncture on the finger, heel or an
earlobe.
Hematoma is a collection of blood outside of a blood vessel. Hematomas are caused by injury to the wall of a blood
vessel, which pushes blood out to surrounding tissues.
Hemoconcentration is a decrease in plasma volume, which causes a simultaneous increase in the concentration of
red blood cells and other commonly tested constituents of the blood.
Hemolysis is the rupture or destruction of red blood cells.
Heparin is an anticoagulant (blood thinner) that prevents the formation of blood clots.
Median basilic vein is also referred to as the medial cubital vein. It is located in the upper limb. It is used most often
for taking blood, or venipuncture, and is the connection for the basilic and cephalic veins.
Needle gauge refers to the inner measurement or opening of the needle. Needles are routinely available in a variety
of gauge sizes, including 18, 21, 23, and 25 gauge.
Phlebotomist is a person trained to draw blood from a patient (mostly from veins) for clinical or medical testing,
transfusions, donations, or research.
Phlebotomy is a procedure in which a needle is used to take blood from a vein, usually for laboratory testing.
Plasma is the liquid portion of blood. About 55% of our blood is plasma, and the remaining 45% are red blood cells,
white blood cells and platelets that are suspended in the plasma.
Serum is a clear, yellowish coloured fluid which is part of the blood. It does not contain white or red blood cells or a
clotting factor.
Syringe is a medical device that is used to inject fluid into, or withdraw fluid from, the body. A medical syringe
consists of a needle attached to a hollow cylinder that is fitted with a sliding plunger.
Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot, known as a thrombus, within a blood vessel. It prevents blood from
flowing normally through the circulatory system.
Tourniquet is a device which applies pressure to a limb or extremity in order to limit – but not stop – the flow of
blood.
Vacuum tube system is a closed systems for blood collecting, reduces the risk of direct exposure to blood and has
made it easier to take multiple samples from a single venepuncture.
Vein is a type of blood vessel that return deoxygenated blood from organs and tissues back to the heart.
Venipuncture is the collection of blood from a vein. It is most often done for laboratory testing.