Blood Test

What is a Blood Test?

A blood test is an important diagnostic tool used to evaluate your overall health. Blood is drawn and tested for a wide range of disorders, including anemia, infection and leukemia.

A complete blood count test, or CBC test, reflects your overall well-being and can be used to measure components of your blood, including red and white blood cell count, cholesterol, platelet count and hemoglobin levels. Abnormal cell counts detected in a CBC test may indicate an underlying medical condition that calls for further evaluation.
 

What happens before a Blood Test?

You will be required to fast for a specific amount of time before the test. This is important to ensure accuracy because food ingested before a test can impact blood-level readings. Not all blood tests require fasting.

The amount of time needed for fasting can range between 8-12 hours prior to a test.
 


What happens during a Blood Test?

Your skin will be cleaned with an antiseptic wipe and an elastic band will be put around your arm to help the vein swell with blood.

A needle is inserted to draw blood from the vein, after which the elastic band will be removed an a bandage will be placed over the area where the needle was inserted.

Your blood sample will then be labeled and sent to the laboratory for testing.
 

What happens after a Blood Test?

You will be given a follow up appointment to review your test results. Should you feel unwell, contact your doctor immediately or call our 24 HR Medical Urgency Clinic.
 

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