What is a Blood Panel?
A blood panel is a test used to evaluate a patient’s overall health and to screen for a wide variety of disorders. A blood panel is also known as a complete blood count (CBC), full blood count (FBC), or hemogram. A blood panel is often performed as part of a routine medical checkup or at the request of a physician seeking specific information. No preparation is required for a blood panel. The health care provider will wrap an elastic band around the upper arm to stop the flow of blood and to make veins easier to find. The skin of the needle site is cleaned and the needle is inserted into the vein. A tube attached to the needle fills with blood, and the site is bandaged. The sample in the tube is then combined with an anticoagulant to prevent it from clotting before the blood panel can be performed. A blood panel used to be performed by placing a slide of the blood sample under a microscope and manually counting cells; today the test is usually automated. The tube is placed on a rack on
