Clinical Biochem Lab Flashcards
What are the traditional divisions of a pathology department?
- microbiology
- haematology
- histopathology
- clinical biochem
Function of a biochem lab
- to diagnose & monitor disease
- perform tests on specimens to obtain info on the health of a patient
What are some examples of staff in a biochem lab?
- consultant clinical biochemist
- clinical biochemist
- biomedical scientist
- medical lab assistants
Describe the Specimen Reception
- samples may arrive via courier
- some labs receive them via pneumatic tube systems –> this isn’t suitable for all sample types
What are the 3 point of ID on a sample?
- name
- D.O.B
- NHS number
- hospital number
What happens when a sample fits the specimen reception criteria ?
- its processed
- logged onto the hospital computer system
- given a specific lab number
- allocated appropriate tests
- labelled & stored immediately
What happens if a sample doesn’t have the 3 point of ID?
they are discarded
How is a EDTA blood sample processed?
- blood sample tube/request sheet is correctly labelled
- test required is plasma ammonia level
- plasma has to be isolated ASAP from RBCs
- once separated plasma is assayed for ammonia determination
What are the plasma ammonia reference range for infants ?
< 40 u mol/L
what is the plasma ammonia reference range for adults ?
11 - 32 u mol/L
How are blood spot cards processed in the lab?
- sent from babies 5-8 days old - part of newborn screening program
- only analysed in specialist labs
-proccessed by MLA
What does the newborn screening/ blood spot card test for ?
- phenylketonuria
- congenital hypothyroidism
- sickle cell
- cystic fibrosis
- MCADD
- MSUD
- IVA
Describe Phenylketonuria (PKU)
- affects 1/10,000 Caucasian births
- severe intellectual disability if untreated
- excellent prognosis if treated from birth - low Phe diet
- screening test = bloodspot phenylalanine
- ref range = 120-360 u mol/L
What does phenylketonuria result from ?
it results from a deficiency in the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase
What effect does phenylketonuria have?
- high phenylalanine (Phe) & low tyrosine level
-Phe impairs amino acid transport into the brain & impart white matter development
