Laboratory Testing Services

Specialized testing

Our laboratory is CLIA certified and contains its own blood bank, which is maintained through Carter BloodCare.

The North Texas Medical Center laboratory performs hundreds of tests onsite and partners with the finest reference laboratories in the region for access to specialized testing procedures.

Outpatient Services

Visit labtestonline.org for information about the wide assortment of tests that can be ordered by physicians.

Getting a blood draw

To help ensure your safety when getting blood drawn, please alert the professional collecting your blood if any of these apply to you:

• Previous problems associated with a blood specimen collection (fainting, pain lasting several days, bruising or swelling at the site)
• Currently on medication that may cause prolonged bleeding (i.e., chemotherapy, blood thinners such as Coumadin (warfarin), heparin or aspirin therapy).
• Specific draw sites that have been successful in the past
• Previous mastectomy or axillary lymph node dissection.
• Arteriovenous fistula

Steps to take to avoid complications

To help avoid complications, such as getting a bruise after a blood draw, apply direct pressure to the site for three to five minutes immediately after the needle is removed. Do not just bend the arm to apply the required pressure as this does not apply enough direct pressure to the actual site.

If a bruise does occur, use general first aid—ice the area and avoid use of the arm. If the area that is bruised causes pain and it does not subside with appropriate first aid measures, seek further medical attention from a health care provider.

You should avoid leaning on or using the arm that the blood was drawn from for exercise or heavy lifting for a few hours to prevent dislodging the fibrin clot that formed to stop the bleeding.

Questions? Contact us for more information on our outpatient healthcare services.