Labs and diagnostics

A place where samples such as blood, urine or tissue are tested, or the tests that are done there.

A substance made when cells break down glucose for energy; its blood level is a common lab test.

Relating to milk, or to lactic acid, a substance cells make when they break down glucose without enough oxygen.

A type of metabolic acidosis in which lactic acid (lactate) builds up in the blood.

A gradual drop in the fetal heart rate that starts and hits its lowest point after the peak of a contraction.

A test of amniotic fluid that compares two fats found in lung surfactant, used to judge whether a fetus's lungs are mature.

An enzyme, made mainly by the pancreas, that breaks down fats; its blood level is a common lab test.

A fat or fat-like substance in the body or food, such as cholesterol and triglycerides.

A blood test that measures fats in the blood: total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.

A particle made of fat and protein that carries cholesterol and other fats through the blood.

A metric unit of volume equal to 1,000 milliliters, a little more than a US quart.

A blood test that measures how much of the mood-stabilizing drug lithium is in the blood.

A group of blood tests that check how well the liver is working and whether its cells are damaged.

A particle that carries cholesterol in the blood; its level is measured in a lipid panel and is often called "bad" cholesterol.

A small sterile vial fitted into a suction line between the tip and the tubing to collect washings or fluid as a specimen.

A procedure in which a needle is put between two bones in the lower back to take out spinal fluid or give medicine; a spinal tap.

A type of white blood cell that targets specific germs and abnormal cells, including T cells, B cells and natural killer cells.