Coombs test
- noun
- /ˈkuːmz tɛst/
- Specialized
:
prueba de Coombs
- The doctor ordered a Coombs test to check for antibodies in the patient's blood.
Examples
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Before the transfusion, the laboratory performed a Coombs test to ensure compatibility.
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A positive Coombs test can indicate autoimmune hemolytic anemia.
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The doctor ordered a Coombs test for the patient.
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Why is a Coombs test important before a transfusion?
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The doctor ordered a Coombs test to check for antibodies in the patient's blood.
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A positive Coombs test can indicate autoimmune hemolytic anemia.
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Before the transfusion, the laboratory performed a Coombs test to ensure compatibility.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Coombs + test
While the word 'test' signals a general examination or diagnostic procedure, 'Coombs' is an eponymic surname with no lexical meaning a B1 learner could use to infer the specific medical function. The precise purpose—detecting antibodies on red blood cells and screening for transfusion/prenatal issues—is specialized and not derivable from the constituents, so the expression's meaning is not predictable from its parts.
Etymology
Coombs test is named after Dr. Robin Coombs, who developed a way to see if tiny 'antibodies' are sticking to red blood cells. So the Coombs test today means a lab test that checks for those 'antibodies' on blood cells.
