Performing Blood Tests

Blood tests are done very commonly these days to find out the causes behind certain illnesses or any discrepancy existing in the body. Some of the patients are required to have numerous tests on a weekly or monthly basis which sometimes can be a cause for concern. Some of the people cannot stand the sight of blood and blood tests can be a trying time for them. But if the process of blood test is known to the patient then it makes for less anxiety.

Pregnancy Test: The technician collects the blood sample in a vial or syringe after puncturing a vein on the forearm. Prior to this he/she will bind your forearm tightly to enlarge the target vein and clean it with antiseptic. The needle prick is gently inserted in the vein and the tourniquet removed. Then the sample is sent to the lab to determine the amount of HCG circulating in the blood.

Cholesterol Test: This test is done the same way as for the pregnancy test. There are also home kits available which help the patients to measure their cholesterol levels sitting at home. They have to use a lancet to prick the skin and the blood sample is collected on a special chemical coated paper which changes color if there are changes in the levels of cholesterol.

Electronic Cross Matching: This is a computer-assisted analysis of the data entered from testing done on the donor and the blood samples of the intended recipient. This test can be done only if the patient has a negative anti-body screen implying that they do not have any active red blood cell atypical antibodies. If the entered data is compatible, then the computer will print a compatibility report.  

Serological Cross Matching: In this type of blood test, the RBC from the donor is compared for compatibility using the serum of the patient in need of blood transfusion. If the patient’s serum contains antibodies against the antigens then the donor is compatible for donation.