A result showing a possibly life-threatening condition (a panic or alert value); the lab must tell the ordering provider or responsible person immediately.
Processing, question 2A clinic's example policy calls a POC glucose below 50 mg/dL critical and says to repeat a critical result once before calling. The first…
Processing, question 7A phlebotomist's POC result falls outside the reference range but does not reach any limit on the clinic's critical value list. How should…
Processing, question 8At a clinic whose policy lists a point-of-care glucose below 50 mg/dL as critical, a phlebotomist gets 38 mg/dL on an adult. What should…
Related terms
centrifugationSpinning specimens to separate cells from serum or plasma, using the tube maker's time and speed; serum…
centrifugeMachine that spins tubes fast to separate serum or plasma from cells. Load matched, balanced tubes; open the…
chain of custodySigned, dated record of each person who has a specimen, from collection to disposal, so a forensic or…
clotting timeThe time a serum tube stands at room temperature, as the tube maker specifies, so the clot forms fully…
Custody and Control FormCCF: the federal form that documents a workplace drug-test specimen's chain of custody, from the employee to…
dead volumeExtra sample an analyzer needs to pipet accurately, beyond the volume the test itself uses; part of a test's…
icterusDark yellow serum or plasma caused by high bilirubin; bilirubin in icteric samples can falsely lower some…
lipemiaCloudy, milky serum or plasma from high blood fats, often after a heavy meal; it can interfere with tests…