Blood tests

An electrolyte is a substance that conducts electricity through the movement of ions, but not through the movement of electrons. This includes most soluble salts, acids, and bases, dissolved in a polar solvent like water. Upon dissolving, the substance separates into cations and anions, which disperse uniformly throughout the solvent. Solid-state electrolytes also exist. In medicine and sometimes in chemistry, the term electrolyte refers to the substance that is dissolved.

glucose concentration in blood

laboratory analysis performed on a blood sample

An anticoagulant, commonly known as a blood thinner, is a chemical substance that prevents or reduces the coagulation of blood, prolonging the clotting time. Some occur naturally in blood-eating animals, such as leeches and mosquitoes, which help keep the bite area unclotted long enough for the animal to obtain blood.

annular pentameric protein found in blood plasma whose circulating concentrations rise in response to inflammation

The hematocrit () (Ht or HCT), also known by several other names, is the volume percentage (vol%) of red blood cells (RBCs) in blood, measured as part of a blood test. The measurement depends on the number and size of red blood cells. It is normally 40.7–50.3% for males and 36.1–44.3% for females. It is a part of a person's complete blood count results, along with hemoglobin concentration, white blood cell count and platelet count.

medical laboratory test

form of haemoglobin chemically linked to a sugar

physiological quantity, measurement of the rate of settling of red blood cells

Serology is the scientific study of antibodies in the serum and other body fluids. Such antibodies are typically formed in response to an infection (against a given microorganism), against other foreign proteins (in response, for example, to a mismatched blood transfusion), or to one's own proteins (in instances of autoimmune disease).

Ferritin is a universal intracellular and extracellular protein that stores iron and releases it in a controlled fashion. The protein is produced by almost all living organisms, including archaea, bacteria, algae, higher plants, and animals. It is the primary intracellular iron-storage protein in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, keeping iron in a soluble and non-toxic form. In humans, it acts as a buffer against iron deficiency and iron overload.

renal function test, based on water filtered out of plasma through glomerular capillary walls into Bowman's capsules

type of medical test

mammalian protein found in Homo sapiens

clotting time of blood plasma recalcified in the presence of excess tissue thromboplastin

technique of suspending cells in a stream of fluid and passing them by an electronic detection apparatus

D-dimer (or D dimer) is a dimer that is a fibrin degradation product (FDP), a small protein fragment present in the blood after a blood clot is degraded by fibrinolysis. It is so named because it contains two D fragments of the fibrin protein joined by a cross-link, hence forming a protein dimer.

thumb|upright|Still photo of a venipuncture procedure thumb|Video of a venipuncture procedure

average volume of a red blood cell, which sometimes helps in diagnosis

lab test to detect infections in the bloodstream

test of blood taken from an artery that measures the amounts of certain dissolved gases

stained blood on microscope slide

group of commercially available tests that allow quick diagnosis of malaria

blood test used in immunohematology, application of anti-antibodies (Coombs' reagent)

test for coagulation of the blood

diagnostic immunoassay using magnetic beads

group of autoantibodies

urinary protein found in plasma cell disorders

panel of blood tests

measure of the levels of enzymes and proteins in the blood to assess liver health and functionality

medical test for blood in the feces

Procalcitonin (PCT) is a peptide precursor of the hormone calcitonin, the latter being involved with calcium homeostasis. It arises once preprocalcitonin is cleaved by endopeptidase. It was first identified by Leonard J. Deftos and Bernard A. Roos in the 1970s. It is composed of 116 amino acids and is produced by parafollicular cells (C cells) of the thyroid and by the neuroendocrine cells of the lung and the intestine.

separation of protein

serologic blood test based on inactivation of complement by the antigen-antibody complex (stage 1)

sampling and analysis from non-solid biologic tissues

average mass of hemoglobin (Hg) per red blood cell (RBC)

measure of the concentration of hemoglobin in red blood cells

measure of red blood cell volume variation as part of standard blood tests

Pentagastrin (trade name Peptavlon) is a synthetic polypeptide that has effects like gastrin when given parenterally. It stimulates the secretion of gastric acid, pepsin, and intrinsic factor, and has been used as a diagnostic aid as the pentagastrin-stimulated calcitonin test.

Test used to estimate blood sugar levels

medical laboratory blood test

microbiological method using antibodies

in vitro allergen radioimmunoassay in which allergens are coupled to an immunosorbent

medical test of duration of blood flow after a skin puncture, used as a measure of capillary and platelet function

common human medical data ranges for blood test results

Phlebotomy is the process of making a puncture in a vein, usually in the arm or hand, with a cannula for the purpose of drawing blood. The procedure itself is known as a venipuncture, which is also used for intravenous therapy. A person who performs a phlebotomy is called a phlebotomist, although most doctors, nurses, and other technicians can also carry out a phlebotomy. In contrast, phlebectomy is the removal of a vein.

blood test measuring fetal hemoglobin transferred from a fetus to a mother's bloodstream, often performed on Rh-negative mothers to determine the required dose of Rho(D) immune globulin to prevent Rh disease in Rh-positive children

assay for microorganisms, passive agglutination tests in which antigen is adsorbed onto latex particles which then clump in the presence of antibody

coagulation blood test, clotting time of plasma mixed with a thrombin solution

thumb|Cytometers are the instruments which count the blood cells in the common blood test.

thumb|right|blood film in a patient with [[hereditary elliptocytosis: approximately 60% to 70% of the RBCs are elliptocytes.]] thumb|Elliptocyte compared to other forms of poikilocytosis.

amount of circulating iron in a bloodstream that is bound to transferrin and serum ferritin

blood test that measures the blood's capacity to bind iron with transferrin

collective term for blood tests used to check the function of the thyroid

monitoring of glucose concentration in blood

Fructosamines are compounds that result from glycation reactions between glucose and a primary amine, followed by isomerization via the Amadori rearrangement. Biologically, fructosamines are recognized by fructosamine-3-kinase, which may trigger the degradation of advanced glycation end-products (though the true clinical significance of this pathway is unclear). Fructosamine can also refer to the specific compound 1-amino-1-deoxy-D-fructose (isoglucosamine), first synthesized by Nobel laureate Hermann Emil Fischer in 1886.

Thromboelastography (TEG) is a method of testing the efficiency of blood coagulation. It is a test mainly used in surgery and anesthesiology, although increasingly used in resuscitations in emergency departments, intensive care units, and labor and delivery suites. More common tests of blood coagulation include prothrombin time (PT) and partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) which measure coagulation factor function, but TEG also can assess platelet function, clot strength, and fibrinolysis which these other tests cannot.

parameter representing the concentration of protein

lab test for arsphenamine and neoarsphenamine in blood and urine