centrifuge
Medical term Phlebotomy
A machine that spins specimens at high speed to separate serum or plasma from blood cells.
Sources
- WHO guidelines on drawing blood: best practices in phlebotomy (2010) · World Health Organization
Related terms
- plasmaThe liquid part of blood, mostly water, that carries blood cells and dissolved substances.
- serumThe liquid left after blood clots; plasma without clotting factors.
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- buffy coatThe thin pale layer of white cells and platelets between red cells and plasma in centrifuged blood.
- butterfly needleA winged infusion set: a needle with plastic wings and tubing, used with a syringe or evacuated tubes.
- capillary puncturePuncturing the skin of a fingertip or infant heel with a lancet to collect a small blood sample, often for…
- cephalic veinA superficial vein on the thumb side of the arm, often used for venipuncture.
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- clot activatorA tube additive that speeds clotting so serum can be separated; it can interfere with coagulation tests.
- coagulationFormation of a blood clot.