Question

Provide 5 possible reasons for specimen rejection. (Can be due to handling/transport/quality of specimen...be specific) How is a centrifuge balanced? Which department(s) require a specimen to not be centrifuged and which specimens?

Answer 1

Specimen refers to the sample collected from the human for the purpose of diagnostic . The specimen is collected by the health workers using sterile techniques. The specimen collected are int he form of blood, cerebrospinal fluid, urine samples, swabs. The specimen is rejected if it doesnt meet the standard guidelines.

The general rejection criteria are:

Mislabeled specimens: Labelling the specimen container with wrong patients name,different UHID code.

Inadequate specimen: The quantity of specimen must be adequate to make a diagnostic conclusion. Insufficient specimen need a repeat collection.

Usage of incorrect container: Specimens must be collected on the specific container. For ex) Light blue container is used to check coagulation studies, this container contains sodium citrate that prevents the clotting of blood. If mistakenly the blood is drawn and collected in a red blood tubes will results in clotting of blood.

How is a centrifuge balanced?

- Centrifuge is a laboratory device that spins and helps to separate the whole blood components like serum,plasma,red blood cells and body fluids. To balance centrifuge the lab technician must carefully consider the sample weight and the placement. Samples placed on the opposite sides of the centrifuge should have a weight difference not exceeding more than one gram. Maintain load symmetrical when adding sample to the centrifuge. Follow manufacturing instructions before operating the centrifuge. Securely fixed the rotor before operating. Keep the inner compartment of the centrifuge clean and dry.

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