INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY  Feces should be collected in the early stages of

What Is A Medical Technologist? diarrheal diseases

 Plays a key role in the modern laboratory  Specimen should be collected in the morning
 A healthcare professional who performs diagnostic analytic  Formed stools should be REJECTED
tests on body fluids such as blood, urine, sputum, stool,  Rectal swab is acceptable if the collection cannot
cerebrospinal fluid, peritoneal fluid, pericardial fluid, as be made immediately
well as other specimens. 5. CSF
 Method of collection:
Specimen examined by A Medical Technologist  Lumbar Puncture,
1. Blood  Cisternal Puncture,
 Lateral Cervical Puncture or
 Blood is a connective tissue consisting of plasma
 Ventricular Cannulas
and formed elements
 L3/L4 or L4/L5
 Blood is the body’s only fluid tissue
 3 samples:
 It is composed of liquid plasma and formed
 Tube 1 – Chemical
elements
 Tube 2 – Microbiology
 Formed elements include:
 Tube 3 – Cytology
 Erythrocytes, or Red Blood Cells
6. Pericardial, Pleural, Peritoneal Fluids
 Leukocytes, or White Blood Cells
 Also known as serous fluids
 Platelets
 These are aspirated by a physician
7. Synovial fluid
 It is the fluid contained in the joint spaces
 It provides information about joint diseases

By Heinemann
 Application of principles
 Performance of laboratory procedures
 Diagnosis and treatment of diseases

By Anne Fagelson
 Performance of Laboratory determinations and analysis
 Maintenance of health

According to “The Philippine Medical Technology Act of

1969 (RA 5527)
2. Urine An auxiliary branch of laboratory medicine which deals
with the examination by various chemical, microscopic,
 Most frequently submitted specimen
bacteriologic and other medical laboratory procedures or
 UTI – defined as bacteriuria within the renal tract
technic which will aid the physician in the diagnosis, study
and the presence of 100,000 (10 5) per mL in the
and treatment of disease and in the promotion of health in
midstream sample of urine
general.
 Most common sites: Urinary Bladder and
Urethra
 Escherichia coli – most common cause of UTI
Characteristics of a Medical Technologist
3. Sputum  Ability to solve problems efficiently
 Sputum should represent lung secretions  Enjoy challenges and responsibilities
collected from a deep cough  Perform procedures accurately and precisely
 Early morning specimens collected for 3  Functions well even under pressure
consecutive days  Able to communicate well
 Sputum often contaminated with mouth normal  Likes the sciences and performing laboratory procedures
flora, thus concentration-digestion-  Flexible and team player
decontamination procedure is
RECCOMMENDED History of Medical Technology
 M. tuberculosis in Lowenstein-Jensen Agar  1500 BC- intestinal parasites such as Taenia and Ascaris,
 Malachite green – inhibits the growth were mentioned in early writings
of contaminating bacteria  Ebers papyrus – book for treatment of diseases containing
 Rough, buff-colored colonies description of the three stages of hookworm infection
 Usually positive in 14 to 21 days
4. Feces
 1096-1438 (Medieval period) – quacks reaped fortunes  1628-1694 – Marcello Malphigi described as the “greatest”
from diagnosing disease by the appearance of the urine of the early microscopist. He was also the “Founder of
 Acaris lumbricoides Pathology”
o Disease: Ascariasis; roundworm infection  1848 – Fehling performed the first quantitative test for
o Site in host: Small Intestine urine sugar
o Portal of Entry: Mouth  19th century – production of aniline dyes which is used in
o Infective stage: embryonated egg staining bacteria for microscopy
o Source of infection: eggs from soil or vegetables
o Lab diagnosis: eggs in stool History of Medical Technology in the United States
o In the GI tract, few symptoms in light infections  The first chemical laboratory related to medicine was
 Nausea established at the University of Michigan by Dr. Douglas
 Vomiting  1878, Dr. William H. Welch established another laboratory
 Obstruction of small bowel or at the Bellevue Hospital Medical College
common bile duct  1885 Dr. W. Welch became the first professor of pathology
o Pulmonary: symptoms due to migration at the John Hopkins University
 Alveoli (pneumonia) – cough,  1896 Dr. William Osler – first clinical laboratory opened at
fever wheeze, dyspnea, C-ray the John Hopkins Hospital
changes, eosinophilia  1896 – another laboratory was also opened at the
 Taenia saginata University of Pennsylvania (William Pepper Laboratory)
o Disease: Taeniasis; Beef tapeworm infection  1908 Dr. James C. Todd wrote the book “A Manual of
o Site in Host: Small Intestine Clinical Diagnosis”. It was retitled “Clinical Diagnosis by
o Portal of Entry: mouth Laboratory Methods” in its 6th edition by Dr. Todd and Dr.
o Definitive host: human Arthur Sanford
o Intermediate host: grazing cattle  1919 census, 100 technicians, all male employed in the US.
This increased to 3,500 in 1920. In 1922, 3,035 hospitals
o Infective stage: Larva
had clinical laboratories
o Source of infection: cyst in beef
 1923, University of Minnesota first to offer a degree level
o Laboratory Diagnosis: segments and eggs in
program
stool; scotch tape swab
 1940 US required a 2 year collegiate education and a 12-
 Taenia solium
moth actual training in the laboratory for the preparation of
o Disease: Taeniasis; Pork tapeworm infection
its practice
o Site in Host: Small Intestine
 1950, Standard curriculum was formalized in preparation
o Portal of Entry: mouth for a Bachelor of Science degree
o Definitive host: human
o Intermediate host: pig History of Medical Technology in the Philippines
o Infective stage: larva  End of WW2 (1939-1945) – medical Technology practice
o Sources of Infection: cysts in pork was introduced in the Philippines by the 26 th Medical
 Hookworm Infantry of the 6th US Army
o The human hookworms include two nematode  The US army established the first Clinical Laboratory at
species, Anclystoma duodenale and Necator Quiricada St., Sta. Cruz, Manila where the Manila Public
amaericanus Health Laboratory is presently located
o The second most common human helminthic  February 1944 – laboratory MPHL) offered training
infection (after Ascariasis) program to high school graduates
o Worldwide distribution, mostly in areas with  June 1943 – the US Army left the clinical Laboratory and
moist, warm climate endorsed in to the National Department of Health
o Iron deficiency, anemia, is the most common  October 1, 1945 – Dr. Alfredo Pio de Roda organized the
symptom of hookworm infection, and can be Medical Lab and was given the name Public Health Lab.
accompanied by cardiac complications He was assisted by D. Mariano Icasiano who was then the
 Hindu doctors made the scientific observation that the urine Manila City Health Officer
of certain individuals attracted ants and that such urine has  1947 – Training of Medical Technicians started under Dr.
a sweetish taste Pio de Roda and Dr. Prudencia C. Sta. Ana. Trainees were
 14th century Italian physician at the University of Bologna mostly high school and paramedical graduates
employed Alexandra Giliani to perform certain tasks which  1954 – A six-month lab training with certificated upon
would now be considered those of the medical technologist completion was given to the r=trainees. Dr. Sta. Ana
 17th century (1632-1723) Anton van Leeuwenhoek invented prepared the syllabus for the training program
the simple microscope. He was the first to describe the
RBC to see the protozoa, and to classify bacterial according Medical technology Education in the Philippines
to shape  Philippine Union College and Manila Sanitarium offered
the first B.S. degree course in Medical Technology
 1956, Dr. Jesse Umali – first graduate of BS Medtech fro,
PUS; now OB-Gynecologist in the USA. He is also the
owner of the Omega Laboratory at Vito Cruz, Manila
 June 1960 – issuance of permit for the internship program
 June 14, 1962 – full recognition of the 4-year BS Medical
Technology course
 1960, Mrs. Purification Sunico-Suaco pioneered BS
MedTech course at CEU. Their first graduates was in 1962.
 1961 – Dr. Horacio A. Ylagan and Dr. Serafin J. Juliano
started offering BS Medtech at FEU under the College of
Medicine
 UP Manila offers similar course but the degree being
conferred as BS Public Health
 Post Graduate studies for BS Medical Technology
o Among the schools that offered the course were
ff:
 UST Graduate School
 Philippine Women’s University
 Manila Central University
 UP Manila offered 1 year, non-thesis
degree in Masters in Public Health