Blood Labs

Also known as: laboratory blood testing, blood laboratory testing, blood tests, blood testing.

What are blood labs?

Blood labs is a short-hand or slang phrase for blood laboratory tests. These are an incredibly common medical test that your doctor may recommend for a wide variety of reasons. They are used in the diagnosis of a wide variety of medical conditions.

What happens during the test?

Blood labs require the extraction of blood from the body. This can range from a simple finger poke and blood collection to collecting blood using a needle and a syringe. The amount of blood and the location from which the blood is drawn can vary widely. After it’s collected, the blood is taken to a laboratory for testing and analysis.

Is any special preparation needed?

In most cases, no special preparation is needed for blood labs. You may need to avoid food, drinks and certain medications prior to the blood draw.

What are the risk factors?

Infection, bleeding, bruising and pain are the primary risks of blood labs.

Reviewed by: Yadira L Martinez-Fernandez, MD

This page was last updated on: November 04, 2019 02:47 PM