In the clinical microbiology laboratory, blood is a critical diagnostic sample that, in the majority of cases is sterile (or is it?). However, when microbes gain access to and multiply in the bloodstream, it can result in life-threatening illness including sepsis. Mortality rates from bloodstream infection and sepsis range from 25% to 80%, killing millions of people annually. Blood cultures are a vital technology used in the microbiology laboratory to isolate and identify microbes and predict their response to antimicrobial therapy. The Dark Art of Blood Cultures, edited by Wm. Michael Dunne, Jr., and Carey-Ann D. Burnham, surveys the entire field of blood culture technology, providing valuable information about every phase of the process, from drawing samples to culture methods to processing positive cultures. The Dark Art of Blood Cultures is organized around several major topics. History of blood culture methods. Details the timeline of blood culture methods from manual through automated and describes the technological development of the leading automated blood culture systems (Bactec, BacT/Alert, and VersaTREK). Manual and automated blood culture methods. Critiques manual and automated methods for setting up blood cultures for adult and pediatric patients. Detection of pathogens directly from blood specimens. Describes currently available CE marked and FDA-cleared commercial tests using both phenotypic and genotypic markers, including their strengths and limitations. The workflow of culturing blood. Includes best practices from specimen collection to culture system verification, processing positive cultures for microbe identification and antibiotic susceptibility determination, along with the epidemiology of positive blood cultures and the value of postmortem blood cultures. Microorganisms in the blood. Examines the concept of a blood microbiome in healthy and diseased individuals. The Dark Art of Blood Cultures is a resource that clinicians, laboratorians, lab directors, and hospital administrators will find engaging and extremely useful. If you are looking for online access to the latest clinical microbiology content, please visit www.wiley.com/learn/clinmicronow.

Phlebotomy uses large, hollow needles to remove blood specimens for lab testing or blood donation. Each step in the process carries risks - both for patients and health workers. Patients may be bruised. Health workers may receive needle-stick injuries. Both can become infected with bloodborne organisms such as hepatitis B, HIV, syphilis or malaria. Moreover, each step affects the quality of the specimen and the diagnosis. A contaminated specimen will produce a misdiagnosis. Clerical errors can prove fatal. The new WHO guidelines provide recommended steps for safe phlebotomy and reiterate accepted principles for drawing, collecting blood and transporting blood to laboratories/blood banks.

The newly revised fifth edition of this popular reference is a start-to-finish guide for more than 400 basic to advanced nursing procedures. It provides step-by-step instructions for each procedure and explains how to use and troubleshoot equipment.

Now in its Eighth Edition, this leading comprehensive manual helps nurses deliver safe, effective, and informed care for patients undergoing diagnostic tests and procedures. The book covers a broad range of laboratory and diagnostic tests and studies that are delivered to varied patient populations in varied settings. Tests are grouped according to specimen and function/test type (e.g. blood, urine, stool, cerebrospinal fluid, etc.). Each test is described in detail, with step-by-step guidance on correct procedure, tips for accurate interpretation, and instructions for patient preparation and aftercare. Clinical Alerts highlight critical safety information.

I like this book because it's easy to work with and explain[s] in simple form. “Great book for short term training, it's perfect.”—Lisa W., Online Reviewer Cross-training? Continuing education? Refresher? Whether you’re cross training, continuing your education, or taking a refresher course, the knowledge and skills you need to master the essentials of phlebotomy are here. This user-friendly text focuses on the proper techniques for collecting quality blood specimens with minimal patient discomfort. It’s perfect for intensive one- or two-day phlebotomy courses! Thoroughly updated and revised throughout to reflect the practice of phlebotomy today and the guidelines established by national certifying organizations and the essentials published by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science (NAACLS). All procedures updated in accordance with the most current standards developed by the CLSI, The Joint Commission (TJC), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Up-to-date information on point-of-care testing, preexamination variables and their effect on the specimen integrity, current ADA guidelines for the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, arterial blood collection, and newborn bilirubin and newborn screening procedures Discusses the basics, including…types of blood specimens, blood collection equipment vein selection and alternate sites, types of collection tubes and the purpose of anticoagulants, the order of draw, test-specific handling, complications and remedies, and storage and transportation conditions Offers full-color photographs that make every detail and technique easy-to-understand and easy-to-follow. Covers blood specimen collection equipment including safety devices and technical procedures for venipuncture and dermal puncture. Features a self-assessment exam that meets the requirements for continuing education protocols. Offers a wealth of features to make learning easier, including learning objectives, technical tips to avoid complications, such as hematomas and hemolysis, safety tips, practical situation problem-solving exercises, performance evaluation checklists for technical procedures, review questions, an illustrations, photographs, diagrams, charts, and tables. Includes a color tube guide.

Handbook of Autopsy Practice, Fourth Edition is divided into three parts. Part I contains six new chapters in which the reader will find an assortment of tools that will increase the value of the autopsy. Included in the section are valuable resources and tools such as a sample next-of-kin letter, a quality assurance worksheet, new discourse on the dissection procedure which is accompanied by a worksheet and template for the gross description. There is also a new, detailed discussion of the safe handling of sharps, complete with photographs and the reader will also find the updated requirements of the Eye Bank of America and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for ocular tissue transplantation. Part II has been updated with new diseases and recent references added. Practicing autopsy pathologists, residents and students are invited to review this alphabetical listing of disorders before each autopsy in order to re-acquaint themselves with what they might encounter. Part III provides a series of tables providing organ weights and body measurements for fetuses, children and adults. Handbook of Autopsy Practice Fourth Edition is an essential resource for clinicians, pathologists, residents and students who strive to hone their trade and increase the value of the autopsies they perform.