What is the primary use of a centrifuge in a clinical laboratory?

The primary use of a centrifuge in a clinical laboratory is to separate liquid from cells in blood. This process is essential for various diagnostic tests, as it allows for the separation of plasma or serum from blood cells. When whole blood is centrifuged, the denser components, such as red and white blood cells, settle at the bottom of the tube, while the lighter liquid portion, which may contain important analytes and substances needed for various tests, rises to the top.

Centrifugation is crucial for preparing blood specimens for analysis, allowing for accurate measurements of components such as electrolytes, proteins, and other substances in the liquid portion. This method ensures that the samples can be analyzed without interference from cellular constituents.

While mixing samples is important, a centrifuge is not primarily designed for that function, nor does it heat samples or prepare blood smears. Mixing is typically done manually or using specific mixers. Heating samples is accomplished through incubators rather than centrifuges, and preparing blood smears refers to the thin spreading of blood on a slide for microscopy, which is a separate process that does not involve centrifugation.