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Xiao Wang, a recent college graduate, went to a nearby community hospital for medical treatment because of a cold and fever. He thought it was just a small problem, but he didn't expect the doctor to let him go for a blood test first.
Xiao Wang thought it was very strange, why did he have to draw blood for a cold? He wasn't very afraid of needles, but he didn't like to be pricked either.
He asked the doctor what was the use of drawing blood? The doctor said that the blood draw can check your physical condition and see if you have other problems, such as anemia, infection, liver and kidney function, and so on.
Xiao Wang still doesn't understand, what does he think these have to do with colds? He asked the doctor again, where did all the blood go?
The doctor said that the blood drawn would be sent to the laboratory for various analyses and tests, and then the results would be available.
Xiao Wang wanted to ask more questions, but the doctor was already busy receiving the next patient. Xiao Wang had no choice but to take the list and go to the blood drawing room to line up.
Are you, like Xiao Wang, curious and confused about the blood draw in the hospital?
Why do I have to have my blood drawn as soon as I arrive at the hospital? What did you do with the blood that was drawn?
1. The purpose of blood drawing
Blood drawing is not a random request from doctors, but has a certain purpose and basis.
Blood draws can help doctors diagnose your disease, evaluate the effectiveness of your treatment, and prevent your complications.
By analyzing the various components and indicators in your blood, the doctor can understand your physical condition.
A blood routine can check the number and proportion of your red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, etc., to reflect whether there are any problems such as anemia, infection, bleeding tendency, etc.
Biochemical tests can check your liver function, kidney function, electrolytes, glucose, uric acid, cholesterol, and more.
Reflect whether there are problems such as hepatitis, nephritis, diabetes, hyperuricemia, and hyperlipidemia.
A blood microbiology test can check whether there are bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites and other microorganisms in your blood, and reflect whether there are infectious diseases such as sepsis, AIDS, hepatitis, syphilis, etc.
Blood draws can check for many things, and some things can't be checked out otherwise.
Therefore, blood drawing is one of the important means for doctors to make a comprehensive and accurate assessment.
Of course, not everyone needs to have their blood drawn, and not every blood draw requires all the items to be checked.
The doctor will choose the appropriate item and quantity according to the specific situation to avoid unnecessary blood draw and waste.
2. Methods of blood drawing
Since there are so many items that can be checked by blood draw, how is the blood drawn separated?
In fact, it depends on what color test tube is used when the blood is drawn. When blood is drawn, the nurse will fill your blood with a different colored tube.
These colors are not chosen randomly, but have certain rules and meanings.
Different colored tubes represent different inspection items and also represent different treatments.
There are no additives in the red tubes, just pure blood collection.
This tube is used to check for some items that require whole blood or serum, such as immunological tests, tumor markers, etc.
The purple tube contains an anticoagulant called EDTA, which prevents blood clotting.
This type of test tube is used to check some items that require whole blood or plasma, such as blood routine, coagulation function, etc.
The blue tube contains an anticoagulant called sodium citrate oxide or sodium citrate-glucose oxide to prevent blood clotting and stabilize some clotting factors.
This tube is used to check for some items that require whole blood or plasma, such as blood clotting function.
The yellow tube contains an anticoagulant or preservative called heparin or sodium fluoride or a mixture of both.
It prevents blood clotting and prevents some enzymes from breaking down substances such as glucose or lactate.
This type of test tube is used to check for some items that require whole blood or plasma, such as biochemical tests.
An anticoagulant or preservative called potassium fluoride or potassium fluoride-sodium citrate is added to the gray test tube, which prevents blood clotting and prevents some enzymes from breaking down substances such as glucose or lactic acid.
This type of test tube is used to check for some items that require whole blood or plasma, such as biochemical tests.
Of course, these colors are not absolute, and different manufacturers or regions may have different standards and specifications.
3. Where the blood was drawn
So where did all the blood go? In fact, they were all sent to the hospital's laboratory department for various analyses and tests.
In the laboratory department, there are professional instruments and personnel to process blood samples.
According to different projects and requirements, different methods and techniques are used to obtain different results.
Preconditioning is to make your blood sample suitable for testing.
Analysis is done to measure the content or activity of various components and indicators in your blood sample.
The purpose of the report is to present the results of your blood sample analysis in the form of numbers or graphs, etc., and compare them with the normal range.
Of course, these steps are not fixed, and different laboratory departments may have different processes and specifications.
So after the blood draw, it may take a while to get your test report.
Generally speaking, some routine tests, such as blood routine, biochemical tests, etc., can give results within a few hours.
Some special procedures, such as immunological tests, blood pathology tests, etc., may take a day or a few days to get results.
If you need to know the test results urgently, you can consult your doctor or nurse.
epilogue
Before the blood draw, you should keep an empty stomach or a full diet, and avoid factors that affect blood pressure, such as eating, drinking, smoking, exercising, or being emotional.
Get your test report in time after the blood draw, ask the doctor or nurse about the meaning and significance of your test results, and take appropriate treatment or preventive measures according to their recommendations.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below.