Effects of Preanalytical Variables on Clinical Laboratory Tests, 3rd Edition

A companion reference to Effects of Drugs on Clinical Laboratory Tests, Effects of Disease on Clinical Laboratory Tests, and Effects of Herbs and Natural Products on Clinical Laboratory Tests, this new edition completes the background information of what you need to know to interpret clinical laboratory test values. Many new entries are included, and entries from prior editions that are now obsolete have been deleted. Included in this volume are biological and preanalytical variables affecting laboratory test values, i.e., factors other than diseases, drugs, herbs, and natural products, which are included in other Effects publication. As with the other Effects publications, the information is organized into five sections. The first section lists laboratory tests; and the second, preanalytical variables with cross-referencing terms to facilitate searches. The third and fourth sections are alphabetic sorts by laboratory test and by preanalytical variable, respectively. Each entry describes the effect of a specific variable on a patient or a specimen removed from a patient, with a succinct explanation of the mechanism of the effect. The fifth and final section is a compilation of all the references, sorted in numerical sequence and provided to enable a more detailed understanding of the stated effect.