Special Collections terms

49 glossary entries from the Special Collections domain of the CPT test plan. Try free Special Collections practice questions.

ABGArterial blood gases: oxygen, carbon dioxide and pH measured in blood from an artery, such as the radial, brachial or…
adulterated specimenA drug-test specimen containing a substance not normally found in urine, or an abnormal amount of a natural one…
aerobic bottleBlood culture bottle whose medium supports organisms that grow with oxygen; paired with an anaerobic bottle in a set.
anaerobic bottleBlood culture bottle whose medium supports organisms that grow without oxygen; paired with an aerobic bottle in a set.
apheresisCollection in which blood is drawn, one part such as plasma or platelets is separated and kept, and the rest is…
arterial punctureInserting a needle into an artery, such as the radial artery, to collect arterial blood, mainly for blood gases…
autologous donationBlood a person donates for their own later use. FDA allows a lower hemoglobin minimum for autologous donors (11.0 g/dL).
BACBlood alcohol concentration: the amount of alcohol (ethanol) in the blood.
blood alcohol testMeasures ethanol in blood. Clean the site with a non-alcohol antiseptic; legal or forensic specimens also follow chain…
blood cultureBlood put into culture bottles so the lab can grow and identify bacteria or fungi in the bloodstream; careful skin…
blood culture contaminationGrowth of skin bacteria that entered the bottle during collection, giving a false-positive culture; prevented by…
blood culture setOne aerobic and one anaerobic bottle filled from the same venipuncture. Adult recommendations give about 20 to 30 mL…
bluing agentBlue dye put in the toilet tank at a drug-test collection site so the employee cannot dilute the specimen with toilet…
central venous catheterA thin tube placed in a large vein, ending near the heart, for long-term medicines or nutrition; it can also be used…
chlorhexidine gluconateAntiseptic used, often in 70% alcohol, for blood donation and blood culture skin prep; WHO advises against it in…
collectorIn DOT drug testing, the person who instructs the employee, receives and inspects the specimen, and starts and…
CVCCentral venous catheter: a line whose tip lies in a large vein near the heart.
dilute specimenUrine whose creatinine and specific gravity both fall below the values normally expected for human urine.
discard volumeBlood first withdrawn from a vascular access line and set aside, so flush solution does not dilute or contaminate the…
donorA person who gives blood or blood components. FDA requires health screening and checks of temperature, pulse, blood…
donor eligibilityThe determination, made before each collection, that a person is qualified to donate blood or blood components; an…
drug screenA test of urine or another specimen for drugs or their breakdown products. Workplace collections follow strict…
filter paper cardNewborn screening card with printed circles. Fill each circle with blood from one side until soaked through; dry flat…
galactosemiaAn inherited disorder in which the body cannot process galactose, a sugar from milk lactose; affected infants need a…
glucose challenge testPregnancy screening step: the patient, not fasting, drinks a glucose solution and blood is drawn 1 hour later; a high…
glucose tolerance testFasting blood draw, then a measured glucose drink (usually 75 g), then more draws on schedule over up to 3 hours to…
hCGHuman chorionic gonadotropin, the hormone that rises in pregnancy and is detected by urine or serum pregnancy tests…
hematocritThe share of whole blood volume made up of red cells. Donors must meet FDA minimum hemoglobin or hematocrit values.
Hgb, HbHemoglobin: the protein in red cells that binds oxygen, or the lab value measuring it. Blood donors have it checked…
implanted portA reservoir under the skin of the chest attached to a central venous catheter; a trained provider reaches it with a…
lactose tolerance testBlood glucose drawn before and at timed points after a lactose drink; glucose that fails to rise suggests lactose…
MROMedical Review Officer: a licensed physician who reviews drug-test results from the laboratory and evaluates medical…
nasopharyngeal swabA thin, flexible swab passed through the nose to the back of the nasal passage to collect secretions for testing.
newborn screeningState-required blood tests from a few drops of a baby's heel, best collected at 24 to 48 hours of age, to find…
OGTTOral glucose tolerance test: timed blood glucose draws after the patient drinks a measured amount of glucose.
pharynxThe throat, behind the nose and mouth. For a throat culture, the swab is rubbed along the back of the throat near the…
phenylketonuriaPKU: an inherited disorder in which phenylalanine builds up in the blood and, untreated, causes intellectual…
PICCPeripherally inserted central catheter: a long thin line placed through an upper-arm vein with its tip in a large vein…
POCTPoint-of-care testing: testing at the bedside or patient's location, such as a fingerstick glucose or hemoglobin…
sepsisA life-threatening reaction to infection that can damage organs. Blood cultures are drawn to find the germ in the…
sodium polyanethol sulfonateSPS: the anticoagulant listed for blood culture tubes, which are first in the venous order of draw.
specific gravityHow concentrated urine is compared with water. In drug testing, low specific gravity with low creatinine marks a…
split specimenOne urine void divided into two sealed bottles: the primary (Bottle A, at least 30 mL) for testing and the split…
substituted specimenA drug-test specimen whose creatinine and specific gravity are so far off that it is not consistent with human urine.
temperature stripStrip on a drug-test collection container, read within 4 minutes; urine outside 32 to 38 °C (90 to 100 °F) is out of…
throat cultureA swab rubbed along the back of the throat near the tonsils and sent to the lab to grow and identify germs such as…
urinalysisExamination of a urine sample's appearance, chemistry (often by dipstick) and, when ordered, a microscopic check for…
vital signsTemperature, pulse, respirations and blood pressure. Before a blood donation, temperature, pulse and blood pressure…
wound cultureA sample collected with a special swab from an open wound or burn and sent to the lab to grow and identify the germs…