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Blood is useful as it is a relatively non-invasive way to obtain cells, and extracellular fluid ( plasma), from the body to check on its health. Although the term blood test is used, most routine tests (except for most haematology) are done on plasma or serum.

1 Chemistry

Specific biochemical blood tests include:

• Electrolytes
• Blood urea nitrogen ("BUN") and renal function ( creatinine is generally used)
• Liver enzymes
• GlucoseGlucose a simple monosaccharide sugar, is one of the most important carbohydrates and is used as a source of energy in animals and plants. Glucose is one of the main products of photosynthesis and starts respiration. The natural form (D-glucose) is also r and oral glucose tolerance testOral glucose tolerance test (OGTT is a medical test that is performed to diagnose (or exclude) diabetes. The test consists of taking several blood samples — before and after a glucose load (ie. ingesting glucose, a type of sugar). It is, in non-pregnant s (which involves a series of blood tests)
• Protein electrophoresisPlease see the main article gel electrophoresis for an introduction on the principles of electrophoresis''. In chemistry and medicine, protein electrophoresis is a method of analysing a mixture of proteins by means of gel electrophoresis, mainly in blood
• Chem7 test - a battery of blood chemistry tests; the seven parts of a Chem7; sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, and glucose

2 Hematology

Hematological tests are:

• Full blood countA full blood count FBC or complete blood count CBC is a test requested by a doctor or other medical professional that gives information about the cells in a patient's blood. Automated blood count Blood for a FBC is usually taken into an EDTA tube to stop (or "complete blood count")
• Haematocrit and MCVThe mean corpuscular volume or MCV is a measure of the average red blood cell volume that is reported as part of a standard complete blood count. In patients with anemia, it is the MCV measurement that allows classification as either a microcytic anemia ( ("mean corpuscular volume")
• Erythrocyte sedimentation rateThe erythrocyte sedimentation rate ESR , also called a sedimentation rate sed rate or Biernacki Reaction is a non-specific measure of inflammation that is commonly used as a medical screening test. To perform the test, anticoagulated blood is placed in an (ESR)
• Determination of blood type for blood transfusion.