A complete blood count is the most common way to diagnose any disease. When a person goes to the clinic for examination, the doctor will definitely give him a referral for blood donation. This is done to see if there are any abnormalities in the patient’s body. You should know that the decryption of the analysis can only be done by a medical professional. But you can approximately evaluate the results of the analysis yourself if you know the norms of the content of certain blood components.
Indications
When is a person given a referral for a blood test?
- To make a diagnosis and determine the treatment regimen for a patient, the doctor gives a referral to a general blood test. Where the biological material comes from, the doctor also determines.
- If a person has planned placement in a hospital, then he will definitely need to hand over the material for research to the laboratory.
- Before vaccination, a referral for a general blood test is also prescribed. Where the biological material comes from in children will be discussed below.
- Before prescribing a course of treatment with medications, the patient should donate blood for examination to the laboratory. This is done in order to identify any contraindications for taking certain drugs.
Blood test: where does the material come from and how is the fence taken?
Typically, blood sampling for laboratory analysis is taken from the ring finger. But there are options when blood will need to be donated from a vein. Such a need arises if extended research is needed. Where does the general blood test in adults take, the attending physician determines.
The collection of biological material for the laboratory is done according to the following algorithm. The finger is lubricated with an alcohol solution. Next, the laboratory technician makes a puncture and takes the material into the tube. Then the blood moves into a glass flask. A small amount of it is left on a special glass. This is done with the aim of a detailed study of the material and in order to make a general blood test. Where else do they get the material from?
When analysis requires taking blood from a patient’s vein, a person is pulled with a special tourniquet. The skin on the arm in the elbow is lubricated with an alcohol solution. After injecting a needle into a vein. Next, material is sampled, which is also placed in a special flask, and a small amount is taken on glass. There is statistics that during a person’s life he donates blood from a finger about 20 times.
General blood test in children. Where does the material from infants come from. Features of this study
It should be remembered that the values ​​of the test blood in infants differ from the norms of an adult.
The first fence for small children is prescribed at the age of three months. It is believed that in this age period, babies have a risk of a disease such as iron deficiency anemia. Therefore, to identify the development of this ailment, they give a direction to a general blood test in the baby. Where the material comes from is indicated by the pediatrician. Here, the doctor draws attention to the level of hemoglobin and red blood cells.
Also, from three months the child needs to be vaccinated. For its successful implementation, it is necessary that the child is healthy. This analysis makes it possible to find out if all indicators are normal.
Analysis in children
For older children, you need to take a blood test for an empty stomach. And for nursing this recommendation can not be followed.
Material is taken by a laboratory assistant in sterile gloves using disposable tools. Blood in children, as in adults, is taken from the fourth finger of the hand, if you count from the big one. First, a fence is carried out to study the level of hemoglobin in the blood and ESR. Then, material is collected to determine the number of leukocytes and red blood cells in the blood. Next, smears are placed on a glass slide. They are needed to study the cellular composition.
It happens that parents get nervous when a child is prescribed a procedure such as blood sampling for analysis. This is not necessary, as the emotional state of an adult is transmitted to the baby and he may begin to cry. Therefore, parents are advised not to be nervous and in a calm state to come for an analysis. If necessary, the laboratory assistant will advise on how to keep the baby and where the blood is taken from during the general blood test.
Laboratory test results
According to data obtained from the laboratory, the doctor sees whether there are any abnormalities in the human body. When an adult or a child has any problems, the doctor prescribes a further examination of the patient and gives direction to narrow specialists. The results of the analysis obtained in the laboratory show the number of leukocytes, red blood cells, and platelets. Hemoglobin and ESR are also detected. The leukocyte formula is also counted.
Indicators
And what does each indicator mean? Let's look at them:
- Red blood cells are red cells in human blood. Their function is that they deliver oxygen from the lungs to all organs and tissues.
- ESR This abbreviation stands for erythrocyte sedimentation rate. These data relate to one of the main parameters by which the presence or absence of the inflammatory process in the body can be determined.
- White blood cells. If their level is elevated, it means that there is some kind of infection or inflammatory process in the body. It may also mean that there are tumor processes, for example, oncology. White blood cells are a component of the immune system. If their level becomes higher, then this means that the body begins to fight with some kind of disease. White blood cells are white blood cells.
- Platelets. These cells are considered the smallest. They are colorless and are responsible for blood coagulation. Their number can vary during the day and after physical exertion.
Some important points
There are certain standards for blood levels of the above cells. Usually they are indicated in the form of the analysis result. Therefore, the patient himself can orient himself if his cell contents are normal. But the exact decoding of the analysis can only be given by a doctor.
Patients who are afraid to donate material from the finger for some reason may ask the doctor if it is possible to take a general blood test from a vein.
Conclusion
Now you know how a general blood test is done, where the material is taken from. We also talked about the features of collecting material from an adult, a child and an infant.