Laboratory analysis: types, conduct, goals. Medical laboratory

Practically in any health care institutions there are special laboratories where you can take tests. This helps to conduct medical research, which is important for identifying the disease and setting an accurate diagnosis in the patient of this institution. The medical laboratory is designed to conduct different methods of research. Let us examine in more detail which types of tests can help determine the disease.

Where can a medical laboratory be located?

In polyclinics and hospitals there are necessarily such laboratories, it is in them that such studies are made:

1. General clinical analysis.
2. Hematologic analysis.
3. Biochemical analysis.
4. Immunological analysis.
5. Cytological analysis.
6. Serological analysis.
7. Microbiological analysis.

Separately, it is worth highlighting and laboratories in consultation for women, special dispensaries, and even in sanatoria. Such laboratories are called profile laboratories, since they work exclusively in their specialization. In large treatment and prevention institutions there are centralized laboratories. In such places, sophisticated equipment is installed, so all diagnostics are performed using systems that operate automatically.

What types of medical laboratories exist?

There are different types of laboratory tests, it is from this will depend on the types of laboratories themselves:

• Bacteriological, are most concerned with the study of immunity and biological diagnostics.
• The Virology Laboratory diagnoses diseases caused by viruses, produces viral preparations, this includes the vaccine, immune sera.
• The parasitology laboratory conducts diagnostic studies to detect invasions, using helminthological methods for this.
• The cytology laboratory conducts a study of a special material that is obtained by biopsy. Often, such laboratories are located in oncology clinics.

• A separate place is occupied by a forensic clinical laboratory. At this point, researchers are able to draw conclusions about biological evidence. In such laboratories a whole range of measures is applied.
• The pathoanatomical laboratory is engaged in determining the cause of the patient's death, the studies are performed on the basis of the puncture material, and also with the help of an aspiration biopsy.
• Sanitary-hygienic laboratory is a subdivision of a sanitary-epidemiological station, as a rule, such laboratories investigate the environment.

Do you need laboratory studies of patients?

Laboratory tests, whose goals are associated with the fact that you can make a clear diagnosis to the patient in modern conditions, are necessary. Modern institutions can perform a wide range of different analyzes, which has a beneficial effect on the level of medical care and treatment of patients with various diseases. For the delivery of such analyzes, any biological material that is available to a person can be useful, for example, urine and blood are most often examined, sputum is taken in some cases, a smear and scraping is taken.

What are the results of laboratory tests and what is their role in medicine?

Conducting laboratory tests plays an important role in medicine. First of all, obtaining the results of the tests is necessary in order to clarify the diagnosis and begin promptly correct treatment. Also, studies help determine which treatment option will be optimal for each patient individually. In many cases, serious pathologies can be recognized in the early stages precisely because of such measures. If the diagnosis was carried out correctly, the doctor can make an assessment of the patient's condition by almost 80%. One of the most important materials that can tell a lot about a person's condition is blood. With the help of this clinical analysis, almost all diseases can be detected. To learn about the state is helped by the discrepancy with the norms, so in some cases, laboratory analysis can be performed many times.

What types of laboratory research exist?

The clinical laboratory can carry out such analyzes:

• If the immunology method is used in a clinical laboratory, then basically such studies are based on the interaction of antigens. These methods help diagnose the presence of parasites in the human body, distinguish infectious diseases, identify hormonal disorders, and determine the tendency to allergies and pathologies. With the help of this analysis, you can still establish a blood group.
• The analysis of blood in another way can still be called a hematological study. An analysis is carried out in order to identify many diseases in which the structure of the cells varies. Such tests can reveal serious problems, for example, leukemia, myeloma, inflammatory process in internal organs.
• No less important is molecular biology. This laboratory study is based on a polymerase chain reaction in which DNA cells are examined. With the help of this diagnosis, it is possible to identify hepatitis and HIV infection.
• Cytological - allows you to carefully examine individual cells that are examined only under a microscope. After that, the results of analyzes are provided, the decoding of which can indicate the presence of cancer cells in the body, autoimmune diseases are diagnosed, and inflammatory pathological processes that can develop in the patient are determined.
• A separate type of clinical analysis can be called parasitology. With the help of a special laboratory study, it is possible to recognize the presence of ticks and helminths in the body. Most often, specialists use Darling's methods, as well as a native smear.
• Toxicological studies are conducted in order to detect the presence in the body of foreign bodies and substances, for example, such as poisons and toxins.
• Biochemical analyzes are performed much more often than others listed above. With the help of these studies, the level of protein in the serum, the glucose levels in urine and blood are determined.

What is the blood test for?

The very first laboratory analysis that is assigned to a patient in a clinic is a blood test. The fact is that even the slightest change in the human body will necessarily affect the composition of his blood. The fluid that we call blood passes through the entire body and carries a lot of information about its condition. It is thanks to its connection with all human organs that blood helps to make a doctor an objective opinion about the state of health.

Types of blood tests and the purpose of their conduct

A medical laboratory can carry out several types of blood tests, mainly their method of carrying out and the variety will depend on the purpose for which such studies are conducted, so all types of blood tests should be considered in more detail:

• The most common is a general clinical trial that is conducted to identify a particular disease.
• Biochemical blood test provides an opportunity to get a complete picture of the work of organs, and also to determine in time the lack of vital microelements.
• Blood is taken in order for hormones to be examined. If the secrets of the glands are the slightest changes, then this can turn into further serious pathologies. The clinical laboratory conducts analyzes for hormones, which allows to establish the work of the reproductive function of a person.
• With the help of rheumatic tests, a whole complex of laboratory blood tests is performed, which indicate the state of the patient's immune system. Often this kind of diagnosis is prescribed to people who complain of pain in the joints, heart.
• A serological study of blood can determine whether the body can cope with a particular virus, and also this analysis reveals the presence of any infections.

Why do laboratory tests of urine?

The laboratory analysis of urine is based on the study of physical qualities such as quantity, color, density and response. With the help of chemical analysis, protein, glucose, ketone bodies, bilirubin, urobilinoids are determined. Particular attention is paid to the study of sediment, because it is there that you can detect particles of the epithelium and impurities of blood.

The main types of urinalysis

The main diagnosis is the general analysis of urine, it is these studies that make it possible to study the physical and chemical properties of the substance and, on the basis of this, draw definite conclusions, but apart from this diagnosis there are many other analyzes:

• Urine analysis by Nechiporenko is a very detailed study of the elements under a microscope, with the help of this analysis, the presence of leukocytes is calculated, which normally should not exceed 2000 and erythrocytes - 1000.
• Laboratory analysis of urine according to Zimnitsky allows to study in detail the kidneys, which should dilute the urine to normal concentration.
• Urine is analyzed for sugar in order to determine endocrine diseases, for example, diabetes mellitus.
• Passing the analysis to diastase allows you to determine the amount of blood that is contained in the urine.
• Bacteriological culture of urine is surrendered to determine the sensitivity and resistance of the microorganisms that caused the infection to medicinal products.

How is the laboratory analysis done for cytology?

To determine whether there are cancer cells in women in the body, then conducts laboratory tests for cytology. In this case, the gynecologist can take the patient's scrapes from the cervix. To make such an analysis, it is necessary to prepare for it, for this the gynecologist will consult what should be done so that the analysis does not give false results. Often this clinical study is recommended for all women over 18 years of age, twice a year, to avoid the formation of tumors.

How is the smear from the throat carried out?

In case a person often suffers from diseases of the upper respiratory tract, the doctor can prescribe a clinical analysis, called a smear from the throat, to make it possible to recognize the pathological flora in time. With the help of such a study it is possible to find out the exact number of pathogens and begin timely treatment with an antibacterial drug.

How is the quality of the assays analyzed?

Laboratory blood tests, urine must be accurate, because, based on this, the doctor will be able to prescribe additional diagnostics or treatment. To say about the results of the analyzes is possible only after the comparison of the control samples with the results of the measurements is made. When conducting a clinical study, such substances are used: serum, standard aqueous solutions, various biological material. In addition, materials of artificial origin, for example, pathogenic fungi and microbiological, specially grown cultures, can be used.

How are the test results evaluated?

To give a full and accurate assessment of the results of clinical analyzes, this method is often used when the laboratory records the tests in a special chart and places daily marks on it. A map is being constructed over a period of time, for example, control materials are studied for two weeks, all changes that are observed are registered in the map.

In difficult cases, the doctor is required to constantly keep laboratory control over the condition of his patient, for example, it is necessary if the patient is preparing for a serious operation. That the doctor is not mistaken in results, he should necessarily know borders between norm and a pathology in analyzes of the ward. Biological indicators may vary slightly, but there are some that do not need much to focus on. In other cases, if the indicators change by only 0.5 units, this is enough to cause serious irreversible changes in the human body.

As you can see, laboratory diagnostics and analyzes play an important role in the life of each person, as well as in the development of medicine, because with the help of the obtained clinical results many patients manage to save their lives.