Wire in the blood

4:21pm Thursday 20th November 2008

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Have you ever wondered what happens to your pathology sample when it is sent to the Pathology Laboratory? Do you know who tests your pathology specimen? Is it a Doctor? Is it a nurse? Well actually neither.

So who tests the specimen? I didn't know till I went on a tour of the Pathology Department recently as part of National Pathology Week. The tour lasted about an hour and we visited a number of labs that might deal with your specimen. And for those of you reading this who didn't know the answer, the person who tests your sample is known as a Biomedical Scientist.

Up to 300 people visit the blood clinic at Watford General Hospital each day where phlebotomists (individuals trained to take blood) take a sample of blood, put the blood in different coloured tubes known as phials and sends to the Pathology department where it could be sent to a number of different laboratories.

On the tour I had to put on a white coat before I went into the labs, not very fetching or fashionable but essential. The Haematology department, which is concerned with the study of blood, was the first lab on the tour and I watched spellbound as the Biomedical Scientists and other staff used state-of-the-art equipment to test the blood. In the same department I was shown chemical pathology, where tests are undertaken on blood or other biological material to help diagnose diseases.

I visited the microbiology lab that studies microorganisms that cause diseases such as blood poisoning, meningitis and tuberculosis. Blood samples are analysed and if a bug is found it is examined under a microscope and identified. I also looked at samples of bugs growing in special dishes, just like you see on TV.

My next stop was the Histology department where small biopsies (the removal of cells and/or tissues) and large tissue samples are studied under a microscope to find the cause of the illness. I then went to the Cytology department, which is best known in the screening of cervical smears. This was a whole new world to me, extremely interesting and I found it fascinating to see what happens to my blood after I have been for a test. If you get the chance at their next open day take the chance to visit you will really enjoy the experience.