6 tests that require fasting before sampling

Not all tests require fasting in the morning.

Specialist Doctor 2 Tran Minh Thao, Deputy Head of the Department of Examination and Treatment on Demand, Bach Mai Hospital, said that doctors often receive questions from people coming for examination: do I need to fast before going for examination? If so, how many hours before?

6 basic tests that require fasting before sampling

Regarding the above questions, Dr. Thao instructed that the tests that should be performed before fasting include: liver function tests, kidney function tests, blood sugar, blood lipids, iron quantification, and platelet aggregation tests.

The doctor explained that the minimum fasting time should be from 8 to 12 hours. The reason is that nutrients will be converted into glucose, then absorbed by the body and converted into energy.

At this time, the content of blood components will change and distort the test results. Therefore, it is necessary to fast for a sufficient period of time before taking the test sample.

For patients with paraclinical indications such as gastrointestinal endoscopy, patients need to fast at least 4-6 hours before the endoscopy.

In addition, when going for a health check-up or in some medical situations, the person coming for a check-up is prescribed an abdominal ultrasound. To perform this ultrasound, the patient needs to hold their urine and drink a lot of water before the ultrasound. The amount of water needed to make the bladder full is enough to see clearly when performing the ultrasound.

Afternoon examination, after hours does not affect the results

Sharing more about the time to go to the clinic, instead of insisting on going early in the morning with fasting, Dr. Thao added: "Except for acute illnesses, headaches, stomachaches, chest pain, severe pain, you should go early, even at midnight. For the majority, up to 90% can be moved to the afternoon.

If there are procedures that require fasting, eat a light meal in the morning, fast at noon, and the hospital starts working at 1:30 p.m. People can have blood tests, endoscopy, and ultrasound just like in the morning. The results will be no different from the morning examination.

Doctor Thao also said: "From August 1, Bach Mai Hospital has expanded its examination hours to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays; including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Patients who come for examination, blood tests or many other tests can fast for lunch and afternoon, outside of normal examination hours. With a system of modern machinery and equipment, along with a team of highly qualified doctors and nurses, results will be available in just about 2 hours."

"For patients who need to return for a check-up, those with simple illnesses should go to the hospital in the afternoon, because in these cases, the doctor only needs to do simple tests or prescribe medication. Afternoon visits are less crowded, which also makes it easier for patients to access medical examination and treatment services," said Dr. Thao.

From August 1, 2024, Bach Mai Hospital will receive and provide medical examination and treatment on request from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. every day of the week, from Monday to Friday.

On Saturday and Sunday, Bach Mai Hospital welcomes and provides medical examination and treatment upon request from 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Make an appointment online and follow the examination process on Bach Mai Hospital website.

To make a follow-up appointment, patients call the hotline: 1900888866

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/6-xet-nghiem-can-nhin-an-truoc-khi-lay-mau-185240729114238072.htm