Glossary

95KPA – 95 Kilo Pascals, a measure of pressure; usually used in reference to sealable specimen bags designed to be leakproof at extreme pressure.

CDC – Centers for Disease Control; the nation's leading science-based, data-driven, service organization that protects the public's health.

DOT – Department of Transportation; government agency whose goal it is to promote safe travel for US modes of transport. Quest specimen transport must comply with all DOT rules and regulations.

Hemolysis – A sample whose red blood cells have been destroyed, rendering it ineligible for testing.

Hyperbilirubinemia – A condition where a baby’s blood reflects an excessive amount of bilirubin, generated from the premature breakdown of red blood cells.

ICAO/IATA – International Civil Aviation Organization/ International Air Transport Association – global organizations that govern air travel and transport. Quest specimen transport must comply with all ICAO/IATA rules and regulations.

ICD(-11 Coding) – International Classification of Diseases; universal system of standardizing the causes and consequences for morbidity (having a disease) and mortality. It is the basis for all healthcare statistics recorded globally. It is currently in its eleventh revision.

Icteric/Icterus – A specimen that exhibits a yellowish pigmentation due to elevated levels of bilirubin. 

IOP – In-Office-Phlebotomist; a phlebotomist set up in the physician’s office space, designed to facilitate blood draws immediately after a patient has met with their doctor.

Lipemia – Turbidity of a specimen caused by an excess accumulation of fatty particles.

OSHA – Occupational Safety and Health Administration; a government agency whose rules and regulations are designed to prevent workplace accidents.

PPT – Plasma Preparation Tube with K2 EDTA preservative and a gel separator, activated during centrifugation; one of the samples that may be frozen in its actual collection tube.

Preservative – A substance designed to sustain or extend the viability of a specimen for testing, usually preventing clotting or sample degradation.

Provocation Testing – Tests that require the controlled administration of a substance in order to measure, incrementally, that substance’s effect on body function or chemistry.

PSC – Patient Service Center; Quest specimen collection facilities located throughout the country.

QNS – Quantity Not Sufficient; one of a number of reasons Quest may not be able to perform testing.

QUANUM – A complimentary healthcare professional online platform, offering test ordering and access to test results, supply ordering, scheduling a specimen pickup and a host of other services.

Radioisotope – Radioactive isotope; an unstable form of a chemical element that releases radiation as it breaks down. Because there are some medical procedures or therapies that require the administration of an isotope, it is recommended that blood collection occur prior to administration.

Turbidity – The measure of relative clarity of a liquid.

Vacutainer – A sterile glass or plastic blood collection tube with a colored rubber stopper cap that creates a vacuum seal, simplifying and accelerating the blood draw process.

Voided (Urine) – Urine expelled from the body. First-voided urine (FVU) should be discarded prior to beginning the 24-hour urine collection process. FVU then becomes the last urine collected, at the end of the process, on the second day.