The journey of a blood sample

Blood tests look at different things, they can be used to screen and diagnose health issues as well as monitor treatment. This short video heads to SWLPathology’s biggest lab to hear how pathologists and scientists work together to help make a diagnosis on a particular blood test: ferritin.
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Share the video with #DiscoverPathology
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Thinking about a career in pathology? Go to: www.rcpath.org/discover-patho...
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To find out about the different services South West London Pathology offer, visit: www.swlpath.nhs.uk
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Produced by:
The Royal College of Pathologists @RCPath
South West London Pathology @SWLPathology
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Credits:
Stock footage: Falkenauge, Wikimedia Commons, Alex Alexandrov, Radiopaedia.org
Music: / ehrling
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If you want to find out more about this specific test, visit: labtestsonline.org.uk/

[@ilovepathology]

Tell us what you think about learning about the Clinical Blood Sciences lab, we'd love to hear from you!

[@i-ian6268]

Hello. What is the law around my blood sample? Can I ask to have my blood sample back from the lab? If I am happy to collect it, surely it is my blood? So far I have been told no... I do not understand. Can I pay to have my blood sample to keep?

[@ilovepathology]

@@i-ian6268 Hello. Thanks for your question. We asked a Professor of histopathology who also lectures on the Human Tissue Act and his reply is below. I hope it is helpful. It is very likely that the blood that was taken in your sample has been thrown away. the reasons for this are; 1 The things we usually look for in blood samples change fairly quickly and so it is always best to take a new sample rather than store and reanalyse an old one. 2 For some tests blood would have to be frozen to prevent deterioration, for others one of several different preservatives would have to be used. The preservative used is determined by the test one is planning to do so it would be difficult to decide how to store blood, and very costly to separate a sample into multiple smaller samples to cover all the possibilities. 3 The hospital I worked for received and analysed over 4 million samples a year, simple storage would therefore use a lot of valuable resources. Usually therefore samples of blood and other fluids are retained for no more than three days. When handling samples the clinical scientists and doctors have a theoretical risk of catching an infection from the sample, we take precautions with all samples, and extra precautions if we know, or suspect a patient may have a serious infection such as hepatitis. We are uncertain as to whether a scientist can catch COVID from a sample, and so additional precautions are likely to be taken with storage of these samples. the situation is slightly different for solid tissue samples removed at operation, for these a pathologist will examine the sample by the naked eye, and then select bits to be examined down the microscope. The pieces examined down the microscope are retained for thirty years, the remainder is disposed of after about 1 month.

[@i-ian6268]

The Royal College of Pathologists. Thank you for your detailed response. If one wanted to store the sample at home for future tests or for evidence. Would it be better to store in the freezer or refrigerator? The information needed in the future might be an absorption test to determine which medications were present in the blood at the time. Many thanks.

[@nayhem7]

Hello, thanks for this video. I really enjoyed the part about clinical waste as you've shown the whole journey!

[@sophieleah2564]

POV: your watching this whilst waiting for blood results back

[@emerylbriscoe6825]

How u know? Xd

[@randomke7ab]

Yes

[@thomasmackie6657]

Ha, yes just had my bloods taken. Feeling uneasy as feeling poorly

[@Mahrup27]

🙄🙄

[@stephanieczekanski3175]

I've never felt so attacked 😂

[@LifeOfTheParty323]

I didn't even get blood work done recently. I was just curious and I am happy I looked it up.

[@arch.msn.]

Really appreciate your work and doctors

[@yassineanaddam]

So much respect for these people. Thank you

[@GD-mf7mn]

Thank you all for your hard work. ☺️

[@Aurochhunter]

This was my speciality few years back, i did a variety of these jobs, incuding the courier part. Machines do a lot of the actual testing but it's up to the staff to determine what the results mean and to report the when necessary, not to mention observation of blood slides under a microscope.

[@XWOWduck]

Great video, thanks for making this!

[@TheRandomthings87]

I like the process of your lab. 👍

[@nagautube1]

Wonderful video, thanks much for the share.

[@DrGBhas]

Very informative .

[@muchuialbert3819]

lovely,am a MLT FROM KENYA,THINKING IN SPECIALIZING IN PATHOLOGY

[@nourismith677]

Good video

[@asenathnyandika5944]

I like it

[@ashlenburke5989]

At the end she said “theres a lot of people involved in testing your blood” but failed to mention your phlebotomist who drew it in the first place 😂 I’m a phlebotomist. I was curious what happens afterwards when I send it to the lab

[@chocolatemoose6543]

Good.

[@shaunagray6946]

can you more vidoes pls

[@MegaMissfitz]

Today,s the day for my results! I hope i pass 😤😤😤

[@luciem4562]

I have an interview for a job like this tomorrow. 😀

[@nourismith677]

Good luck!😄

[@erwinhaid6261]

did you make it

[@luciem4562]

@@erwinhaid6261 Yes

[@erwinhaid6261]

I see and what did you study

[@luciem4562]

@@erwinhaid6261 master’s in public health

[@Infp996]

Does anyone know how easy or difficult is the progress from band 3 to 4 for MLA ?

[@dawnhoran3353]

contact IBMS they will guide you.

[@19kasayimam]

Confortable laboratory area(service)!

[@alishvan1671]

🌹

[@jravikumar5628]

Lovely good job i want join with you

[@Christian_Luczejko]

Imagine how many people get someone else’s result due to human error. Cause it’s definitely not ZERO.

[@louisescott4333]

Often caused by nurses messing things up, bleeding the wrong patient, labelling tubes wrongly.

[@DovonMac1]

Zabihullah wow what a name would hate to have him spell that.

[@jravikumar5628]

Working as a Lab Technician in Christian missionary service

[@jadegblueparrot8606]

i wonder how many get mixed up and get the wrong results 🤣

[@kellymarie3254]

Most ranges in the U.K. are far too broad. Especially in cases of iron, Vit D and b12 deficiencies.

[@samshailer8530]

It’s a huge amount of blood isn’t it? Why is so much blood drawn when much can be analysed from a tiny drop blood 🩸 even forensics can tell everything from a dried bit of blood 50 years old. Just curious 🧐

[@zoyashah2293]

The reason is that sometimes, one sample has to be taken to different departments in lab. For example a blood sample is required for CBC in hematology, the same sample can also be required in chemistry lab maybe for checking some other parameter. That's why!! And its just 4-5ml of blood in a tube, not much.

[@NYUSARN622]

Forensics cant tell much from dried blood but DNA, blood type.

[@TheMaleNurse777]

Thats tons of plastic to be burned world wide