Laboratory Methods Flashcards

1
Q

What are the different types of specimens that can be collected for laboratory testing?

A
Blood
Body fluid
Urine
Microscopic
Stool
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2
Q

What are the different types of medical labs?

A

Hospital lab

Reference lab = sample gets sent outside of place it is taken

STAT lab = more expensive

Point of Care Testing = bedside

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3
Q

What is lab standardization?

A

Provides accurate and reproducible results

Ensures credible and comparable data across laboratories

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4
Q

What organization is in charge of lab standardization?

A

National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Lab Sciences (NAACLS)

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5
Q

What is considered CLinical Pathology?

A
Hematology
Chemistry
Immunology
Serology
Immunohematology
Microbiology
Support Services
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6
Q

What is considered Anatomic Pathology?

A

Histology
Cytology
Autopsy

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7
Q

Who sets the regulations for medical labs?

A

Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

These people aren’t medical workers

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8
Q

Who do laboratories work under for regulations?

A

Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA)

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9
Q

What do we currently use to code and classify disease?

A

ICD-10

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10
Q

What are the two main purposes of HIPAA?

A

1) Provide continuous health insurance coverage for workers who lose or change their job
2) Reduce administrative burdens/cost of healthcare by standardizing the electronic transmission of administrative and financial transactions = this is where the privacy piece comes in

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11
Q

What is lab quality control?

A

Gives confidence that results are accurate and Reliable

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12
Q

What does internal lab control evaluate?

A

Test is working as it should

Enough sample is added

Sample is moving correctly

Electronic functions of instrument working correctly

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13
Q

What does external lab control evaluate?

A

Entire testing process is performed correctly

Control results are in expected ranges or values as found in manufacturer’s instructions

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14
Q

What is the reference range of a test?

A

Upper and lower limits generally given as range in healthy people

Normal values vary from person to person

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15
Q

What are therapeutic ranges for lab tests?

A

Upper and lower limits to measure medication efficacy

MIC

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16
Q

What is Diagnostic cutoff or threshold?

A

Presence of disease associated with value above a certain threshold

A compromise between sensitivity and specificity

It wants to minimize false negatives and false positives

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17
Q

What is Sensitivity?

A

Capacity to identify all individuals with disease

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18
Q

What is specificity?

A

Statistical term indicating effectiveness of test to correctly identify those without disease

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19
Q

What is a positive predicative value?

A

Likelihood that positive test identifies with disease

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20
Q

What is the negative predictive value?

A

Likelihood that negative test results identifies someone without disease

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21
Q

What test is an example where the threshold is selected to maximize sensitivity?

A

HIV screening

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22
Q

What is accuracy?

A

The ability of a test to actually measure what it claims to measure

Proportion of all test results (both positive and negative) that are correct

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23
Q

What is precision?

A

Ability of a test to reprocess the same results when reacted on the same patient or sample

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24
Q

What is the pretext probability effect?

A

Probability you have disease

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25
Q

What are the indications for ordering a lab test?

A

1) Screening
2) Establish diagnosis
3) Monitor disease
4) Monitor Therapy or medical management of disease
5) Testing related to specific event like a needle stick of sexual assault

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26
Q

What is the process for lab testing?

A

1) Order test
2) Patient prep for testing
3) Collect sample
4) Transport sample to lab
5) Lab receives sample
6) Lab prepares sample for testing
7) Lab reports results

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27
Q

What are preanalytical values for ordering lab studies?

A

1) Patient Age
2) Patient Gender
3) Body Mass
4) Preparation of the patient for testing
5) Differences in results with sample type

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28
Q

What are the standard precautions for lab studies?

A

Sharps Box

Gloves

Eyewear

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29
Q

What are blood studies ordered for?

A

1) Assess quantities of RBCs and WBCs
2) Levels of enzymes, lipids, clotting factors, and hormones
3) To establish a diagnosis = Elevate BUN and creatinine levels indicate renal failure
4) Rule out clinical problem = Normal K level rules out hyperkalemia
5) Monitor Therapy = PTT values to regulate heparin therapy
6) Establish prognosis = Declining CD4 counts reflect a poor clinical prognosis for the AIDS patient
7) Screen for disease = PSA levels to detect prostate cancer
8) Determine effective drug dosage and to prevent toxicity = peak and trough levels

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30
Q

What is the primary type of blood collected for blood studies and where is it collected from?

A

Venous blood

From antecubital fossa of the arm where basilic, cephalon, and median cubical superficial veins can be found

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31
Q

If you can’t use the upper extremities to obtain a blood sample, where is the next best place to obtain a venous blood sample from?

A

Femoral V.

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32
Q

What type of blood study is the first sample to be drawn?

A

Blood Cultures

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33
Q

What is serum?

A

Lacks clotting factor

Clotted blood sample

Clear

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34
Q

What is plasma?

A

Clotting factors present

Anticoagulated blood sample

Slightly more cloudy

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35
Q

What is the order of recommended blood draw?

A

1) Blood Cultures tubes
2) Nonadditive tubes
3) Coagulation tubes
4) Heparin tubes
5) EDTA-K3 tubes
6) Oxalate-fluoride tubes

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36
Q

What is arterial blood used to measure?

A

Oxygen
PH
CO2

37
Q

What arteries are most often used for arterial blood gases?

A

Radial and Brachial arteries

38
Q

What is the Allen Test?

A

Used to assess arterial blood flow to hand and determine potency of radial and ulnar aa.

39
Q

When is the Allen test performed?

A

Prior to radial cannulation as placement may results in thrombosis

Used to reduce the ischemia to the hand

40
Q

What does a positive Allen test reveal?

A

Patient does not have a dual blood supply to the hand

41
Q

What type of body fluids can be obtained for lab study?

A
Sputum
CSF
Peritoneal Fluid
Pleural fluid
Semen
42
Q

What types of swabs can be performed for lab studies?

A

Wound
Throat and ENT
Genital
Axilla or groin

43
Q

What are transudate effusions caused by?

A

Venous Engorgement
Hypoproteinemia
Fluid Overload

44
Q

What are exudate effusions caused by?

A

Inflammatory
Infectious
Neoplastic diseases

45
Q

What does a lumbar puncture sample?

A

CSF

46
Q

What does an arthrocentesis sample?

A

Joint fluid

47
Q

What does a pericardiocentesis sample?

A

Heart

48
Q

What does an amniocentesis sample?

A

uterus

49
Q

Why is a urine sample one of the most performed bodily fluid samples?

A

1) Can diagnose renal or urinary tract disease
2) Can monitor renal or urinary tract disease and treatment of it
3) Can detect metabolic or systemic diseases not directly related to the kidneys
4) Identification of UTI
5) 24 hour urine collection to reflect homeostasis and disease
6) Results of blood test may be normal while urinalysis indicates the presence of metabolites
7) Serum product being tested may be affected by renal clearance

50
Q

What does a first morning urine sample test for?

A

Proteinuria

51
Q

What does a random urine sample test for?

A

Drug testing

52
Q

What does a timed urine sample test for?

A

Postprandial glucose

53
Q

What does a clean catch urine sample test for?

A

Culture

54
Q

What are microscopic studies used for?

A

1) To evaluate hematologist disorders = bone marrow biopsy and blood smear
2) To detect sexually transmitted diseases
3) To evaluate dysfunctional uterine bleeding = endometrial biopsy
4) To determine liver pathological conditions = liver biopsy
5) To detect lung cancer = lung biopsy
6) To screen for cancer of the vagina, cervical, and uterus = Papanicolaou test
7) To determine the sensitivity of breast cancer to hormonal therapy = Estrogen and progesterone receptor assays
8) To detect renal disease, such as malignancy, glomerulonephritis, and transplant rejection = renal biopsy
9) To detect TB = TB culture or AFB stain
10) TO evaluate and treat infections = body fluids, wound and soft tissue culture and sensitivity

55
Q

What are stool tests?

A

Used to evaluate function and integrity of bowel

Represents waste products of digested food

INcludes bile, mucus, shed epithelial cells, bacteria, and other inorganic salts

56
Q

What is a stool test performed for?

A
Intestinal bleeding
Infections
INfestations
Inflammation
Malabsorption
Diarrhea
57
Q

How do you obtain a stool sample?

A

Explain method in a matter of fact way

Don’t mix toilet paper or urine with specimen

If female menstruating, blood may contaminate specimen

Ask patient to defecate in designated container then place small amount in sterile collection container

58
Q

What is endoscopy?

A

General term referring to inspection of internal body organs and cavities with an endoscope

Named for the organ or body area to be visualized and/or treated

59
Q

What does an endoscopy permit?

A

Biopsy of suspicious tissue

Removal of polyps

Injection of variceal blood vessels

Performance of many surgical procedures

60
Q

What does arthroscopy inspect?

A

Joints

61
Q

What does Bronchoscopy inspect?

A

Larynx
Trachea
Bronchi
Alveoli

62
Q

What does a colonoscopy inspect?

A

Rectum and COlon

63
Q

What does a Colposcopy inspect?

A

Vagina and cervix

64
Q

What does a cytoscopy inspect?

A

Urethra
Bladder
Ureters
Prostate

65
Q

Why would a lab specimen be rejected?

A
Improperly labeled
Improper storage
Wrong tube/sample
Insufficient sample
Hemolysis
Clotted
66
Q

What errors can occur in lab performance?

A

1) Pre-analytical phase errors
2) Analytical phase errors
3) Post-analytical errors

67
Q

What are pre-analytical errors that can occur in lab performance?

A

Time from patient prep, through sample collection, until the sample arrive in the lab

68
Q

When do most erros in lab test performance usually occur?

A

In the pre-analytical phase

69
Q

What are analytical errors?

A

Time that sample is being analyzed in the lab

Errors can occur during this, but much less common now because of automation of many lab instruments

70
Q

What is post-analytical phase errors?

A

Begins when result is generated and ends when the results is reported to the physician

Delay in time to enter a completed results into the lab information system

Reporting results for wrong patient

71
Q

What is latex agglutination?

A

Common lab method in which latex beads are coated with antibody molecules

When mixed with patient’s specimen containing a particular antigen, agglutination with be visibly abvious

72
Q

What does latex agglutination identify?

A

C-reactive protein

73
Q

What is alternative latex agglutination?

A

Latex beads are coated with specific antigen

In presence of antibodies in patient’s specimen to that specific antigen on the latex particles, visible agglutination occurs

74
Q

What tests utilize alternative latex agglutination?

A

Pregnancy testing

Rubella testing

75
Q

What is hemagglutination?

A

Used to identify antibodies to antigens on the cell surface of RBCs

RBC agglutination would be visible

76
Q

What is hemagglutination used for?

A

Blood typing for transfusions

77
Q

What is an alternative hemagglutination method?

A

Different antigens can be bound to RBC surface

When added to the patient’s specimen, specific antibodies can be identified by RBC agglutination

78
Q

What is electrophoresis?

A

Analytic lab method where electrical charge is applied to medium on which patient’s specimen has been placed

Migration of charged molecules in specimen can be separated in an electrical field

Proteins can then be identified based on their rate of migration

79
Q

What is an immunoassay?

A

Biochemical test that measures presence or concentration of a molecule in a solution using an antibody or immunoglobulin

Relies on antibody to recogniZe and bind specific macromolecule (antigen)

80
Q

What is the analyte in immunoassay?

A

Macromolecule detected by the immunoassay

81
Q

What is the epitope in immunoassay?

A

Site on the molecule/antigen that the antibody binds

82
Q

What are the different types of Immunoassays?

A
Enzymes (ELISA)
Radioactive Isotopes (RIA)
DNA receptors
Fluorogenic reporters
Electrochemiluminescent tags
Labeless immunoassay
83
Q

What is a Direct ELISA?

A

Antibody is absorbed onto the well and sensitized the plate

Test antigen is added; if complementary, antigen binds to the antibody

Enzyme linked antibody specific for test antigen then binds to antigen, forming a double antibody sandwich

Enzyme’s substrate is added and reaction produces a visible color change that is measured spectrophotometrically

84
Q

What is Indirect ELISA?

A

Antigen is absorbed onto the well and sensitizes the plate

Test antiserum is added; if antibody is complementary, it binds to the antigen

Enzyme linked anti-gamma globulin (anti-antibody) binds to bound antibody

Enzymes substrate is added and reaction produces a visible color change that is measures spectrophotometrically

85
Q

What tests use ELISA testing?

A

Pregnancy testing
Monoclonal Antibody screening
Viral testing (HIV, West NIle)

86
Q

What is direct Fluorescent antibody?

A

Antigen is fixed to slide and fluorescence in labeled antibody is attached to it

87
Q

What is indirect Fluorescent antibody test?

A

Antigen is fixed to slide and antibody is attached to it and also fixed to slide

Fluorescein labeled antimmunoglobulin then attaches and forms an antigen-antibody complex

88
Q

What is flow cytometry used for?

A

Identify cell types

Assesses cell surface markers

89
Q

What is the goal of a western blot test?

A

To identify antibodies in patient serum directed at specific proteins