Hematology: Centrifuge

What is centrifugation used for?

to separate components of blood, or to concentrate a sample by centrifugal force

What specimen type is the cytofuge used for in the hematology department?

body fluids for differential testing

What is the primary difference in using a StatSpin centrifuge?

it separates whole blood in 2 minutes, reducing TAT

used for coag testing

What are the two reasons we perform microhematocrits?

1. hematocrit testing on whole blood

2. hematocrit testing on bloody body fluid specimens

rotor that separates specimen at an angle, resulting in faster sedimentation but does not allow for clean separation of constituents

fixed angle

rotor bucket swings horizontally when spun and separates out the specimen in an even flat surface

swing bucket

Which centrifuge rotor gives the cleaner separation? swing bucket or fixed angle?

swing bucket

What are the 3 components of the centrifuge?

1. rotor

2. drive shaft (holds rotor)

3. motor (moves drive shaft)

What maintenance is performed on centrifuges?

keep the inside free from debris, glass, blood/plasma spills

tachometer and timer validation

What are the two intervals at which maintenance is performed on centrifuges?

bianually or as needed (tube breaks, unbalanced)

the outward force applied when using a centrifuge

relative centrifugal force (RCF)

What two factors does centrifugal force depend on?

1. the radius of the circle

2. the speed in RPMs

Plasma makes up ____% of whole blood.

55%

the measurement of force exerted per unit mass

g-force (gravitational force equivalent)

the length from the center of a circle to the circumference of a circle

radius

an instrument used to measure the rotation speed of a centrifuge rotor or RPM

tachometer (revolution counter)