HEMATOLOGY
This oxygen-carrying protein gives red blood cells their color.
What is Hemoglobin?
This analyte is the primary sugar measured to assess blood sugar levels.
What is glucose?
This differential stain separates many bacteria into purple and pink groups.
What is a gram stain?
These two antigens define the four main ABO blood groups.
What are A and B antigens?
These materials with expected results help monitor the analytical performance of a test system.
What are quality control (QC) materials?
This megakaryocyte-derived cell fragment is central to primary hemostasis.
What is a platelet (thrombocyte)?
This electrolyte is predominantly intracellular and may be falsely elevated by hemolysis.
What is potassium?
This enzyme test produces bubbles and helps distinguish staphylococci from streptococci.
What is catalase test?
This test detects immunoglobulin and/or complement already bound to a patient’s red cells in vivo.
What is the direct antiglobulin test (DAT)?
Using two of these helps ensure a specimen is linked to the correct patient.
What are patient identifiers?
This anticoagulant, commonly found in lavender-top tubes, is used for routine CBC testing.
What is EDTA?
This glycated hemoglobin measurement reflects average glycemia over roughly the previous 2–3 months.
What is hemoglobin A1c?
This selective and differential agar commonly distinguishes lactose-fermenting from nonfermenting gram-negative bacilli.
What is MacConkey agar?
This ABO group lacks both A and B antigens on its red blood cells.
What is group O?
This preanalytical problem involves rupture of red cells and release of intracellular contents.
What is hemolysis?
An increased number of these immature red blood cells usually indicates a marrow response to anemia.
What are reticulocytes?
This cardiac protein is measured in high-sensitivity assays to detect myocardial injury.
What is cardiac troponin (I or T)?
This test detects an enzyme associated with Staphylococcus aureus that converts fibrinogen to fibrin.
What is the coagulase test?
This pretransfusion test evaluates compatibility between donor red cells and recipient plasma or serum.
What is a crossmatch?
A QC rule violation suggests an analytical problem. Before reporting affected patient results, this process identifies and resolves the cause.
What is troubleshooting and corrective action?
Schistocytes are fragmented red cells associated with this broad process of mechanical destruction within small vessels.
What is microangiopathic hemolysis?
A very high concentration of an analyte causes a falsely low result in some sandwich immunoassays through this effect.
What is the high-dose hook effect?
This antimicrobial susceptibility value is the lowest concentration that inhibits visible growth under specified conditions.
What is the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)?
This type of antibody reaction occurs when a previously sensitized patient has an anamnestic response to a transfused red-cell antigen.
What is a delayed hemolytic transfusion reaction?
In Westgard multirule QC, this rule is violated when two consecutive control measurements exceed the same +2 SD or −2 SD limit.
What is the 2-2s rule?