Blood Test

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A blood test involves drawing a small amount of your blood to find out about its components. Those details can provide insight into your overall health, including how well your organs are working, whether you might have certain diseases, and your risk for heart disease or other health problems. Blood testing can also show how well a medicine is working for you.

You doctor might refer to a blood test in other terms, including blood work, lab work or lab tests.

For a few blood tests, your doctor might ask you to not eat any food for eight to 12 hours before the test. Most tests do not require any special preparation.

A blood test might be performed at your doctor's office during an office visit, or your doctor may direct you to a specialized patient service center where experts — called phlebotomists — will draw your blood. 

In some cases, a blood test can be done by pricking the end of your finger, and collecting a very small amount of blood. Most often, blood is drawn from one of your veins. The nurse or phlebotomist will insert a small needle into a vein, usually in your arm.

The nurse or phlebotomist may tie a rubber strap around your upper arm and ask you to make a fist with your hand. This allows a vein in your arm to expand slightly and allows for easier insertion of the needle.

You may feel a small prick or pinch, but the process is not uncomfortable for most people.

Blood is collected into a small vial from a flexible tube connected to the needle. If you're getting more than one type of blood test, your blood might be collected from the same needle stick into more than one vial.

The needle is then removed and you'll be given a bandage to press on the area where the needle was inserted to stop any bleeding. The entire process usually takes two minutes or less.

The phlebotomist will wrap a small bandage around your arm to keep some pressure on the area where the needle was inserted. You can usually remove that bandage within an hour or two.

The vials of your blood are labeled and sent to a lab for analysis. The type of analysis varies depending on what your doctor is hoping to learn about your blood.

Lab technicians can perform various tests to learn details about your blood. The lab test results will then give your doctor more information about your health. Common tests include:

A complete blood count, or CBC:

This test can detect blood diseases and other issues like infections, clotting problems and anemia. It measures different parts of your blood, including the amount of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets (which help your blood clot) and hemoglobin (which carries oxygen in your blood).

A chemistry panel:

This test analyzes the levels of certain enzymes in your blood. The test can provide information about your heart, your bones and organs like your liver and kidneys. It also can help your doctor determine whether you need further testing for diabetes. (A urine test can also check for kidney problems and diabetes, but blood tests are more accurate and more common.)

Other blood enzyme tests:

Many other tests can check for other enzymes, including tests that check for signs of a possible heart attack.

A lipoprotein panel:

This test is commonly called a cholesterol test. It measures the amount of cholesterol and triglycerides in your blood. It can show whether you're at risk for a heart attack or heart disease.

Arterial blood gas:

This looks at how much oxygen is in your blood and how your respiratory system is working.

Results of blood tests can give your doctor information about possible health problems in their early stages. In most cases, the doctors ordering labs will also order other tests and consider other factors before making a diagnosis.

Most insurance companies provide coverage for blood testing, though the insurance coverage  may also include out-of-pocket costs for you.

There are minimal risks to a blood test. Sometimes there is minor bruising in the area of the needle stick, but that almost always disappears quickly.