Medical Laboratory Tests
By: Gretchen Bolander
Updated: June 3, 2010
Medical shows use testing to help pump up the drama - but real life laboratories see the same kind of tests with very different results, according to Freeman Lab Manager Debbie Lorimer. "They would use the CBC and chem 7 to maybe find that someone has been exposed to some very unusual toxic chemical or a bizarre parasite. Here at Freeman we use CBC and chem 7 every day. Our doctors use it to diagnose diabetes and leukemia."
TV doctors often call for a the test stat - which is part of daily life at Freeman Health Systems. Added Lorimer, "It's the very highest priority and we see that coming almost everything coming out of our emergency room is stat. The ICU, often some of our NICU tests."
A CBC counts red and white cells, platelets and hemoglobin - looking for problems like blood loss, infection or leukemia. A chem 7 can indicate diabetes of kidney failure. The Freeman Lab does a lot more of then than you see in a hour long show. Lorimer said, "They are usually only dealing with one person. In the hospital we deal with many more patients, every morning drawing blood for 100 people."
Lorimer adds that even with the most basic tests, the goal is to produce accurate, precise and timely results to help patients get well.
TV doctors often call for a the test stat - which is part of daily life at Freeman Health Systems. Added Lorimer, "It's the very highest priority and we see that coming almost everything coming out of our emergency room is stat. The ICU, often some of our NICU tests."
A CBC counts red and white cells, platelets and hemoglobin - looking for problems like blood loss, infection or leukemia. A chem 7 can indicate diabetes of kidney failure. The Freeman Lab does a lot more of then than you see in a hour long show. Lorimer said, "They are usually only dealing with one person. In the hospital we deal with many more patients, every morning drawing blood for 100 people."
Lorimer adds that even with the most basic tests, the goal is to produce accurate, precise and timely results to help patients get well.
