Introductory Lecture Flashcards
Pathology is?
the study of disease in the human body
Synonyms of clinical pathology
Chemical pathology
clinical chemistry
clinical biochemistry
It uses ________ to diagnose derangements in the metabolic processes of the body.
Chemical rxns in the lab
You cannot learn Chemical Pathology without a sound knowledge of _______& _______
Physiology which deals with the normal functioning of the systems of the body.
And
Biochemistry is the study of the structure of body tissues and all the metabolic processes going on in the body.
Chemical Pathology is a clinical subject which bridges the gap between? by the use of laboratory tests to make diagnoses.
the knowledge of the basic medical sciences and clinical medicine
Steps when a patient goes into the hospital
- History taking and Clinical Examination: doctor makes a tentative diagnosis
- The clinician makes a request to the pathologist through a request form. Asking him to use the laboratory chemical analysis to scientifically prove or disprove his tentative diagnosis.
- On the form, details concerning the patient are filled out.
- Patient preparation
- Laboratory analysis
- Accurate and precise methods
- Interpretation of results
Details on the biochemical analysis form include
Name
Hospital number
Age
Gender
Ward
Drug history
Tribe, Race
Date & time
Name of clinician
Emergency or routine sample
Tests to be done
Sample preparation commences when the blood sample is centrifuged and the sample either______or ______ is separated from the cells.
plasma or serum
In the chemical pathology laboratory, most investigations are carried out on_____& _______
plasma and urine.
_______ is the anticoagulant of choice
Lithium heparin
accurate test meaning
it is as close to the correct value as possible
It must be precise meaning
that means that if repeated the same result will be got.
The method must be specific, that is?
it must not analyse other constituents of the plasma.
Finally, it must be sensitive, that is, it?
must be capable of picking up low levels of the substance which is being analysed
To give accurate interpretation of results, what should be known?
the reference ranges must be known in the general population
Turn around time is ?
The time it takes for the result after request, to get back to the requesting clinician is called the turnaround time. (TAT)
The shorter the turnaround time
the more efficient the laboratory,
and the more useful the result for patient management.
Tests are divided into
- stat tests, those required for quick decision making. The turnaround time for such tests must be as short as possible.
- Routine tests are those done within the day’s work and the usual turnaround time for routine tests is about eight hours.
(Any time greater than this renders the test ineffective towards quick medical decision making.)
CHEMICAL PATHOLOGY LABORATORIES ARE STAFFED BY THE FOLLOWING:-
Chemical pathologists
Medical laboratory scientific officers
Clinical scientists
Chemical pathology lab request form includes?
Surname
Patient’s
Patient’s
First Name
Hospital
Number
Ward/
Clinic
Lab
Number
Clinician
Age
Sex
Relevant Clinical Data/Clinical Summary
Name of lab staff who did the test(s):
Sample: Venous Blood □ Arterial Blood □ Capillary Blood □ Urine □ CSF □
Other Fluids: (please specify)
Job of a chemical pathologist
CLINICAL AND SCIENTIFIC LIAISON
PATIENT PREPARATION AND SAMPLE HANDLING
QUALITY ASSURANCE AND TROUBLE SHOOTING
INTERPRETATION OF ANALYTICAL DATA FOR DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF THE PATIENT
DEVELOPMENT OF PROTOCOLS
ACTING AS A SCIENTIFIC RESOURCE FOR THE HOSPITAL
TEACHING
RESEARCH
Patient with broken bone will need
X-ray
MRI
Blood count
Electrolyte
Colours of these forms
Hematology
Chemistry
X-ray
Pink
Yellow
Green
Plasma =
Serum + anticoagulant
