MLS case studies
MLS · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) credential is awarded by the ASCP Board of Certification (BOC), the certification body associated with the American Society for Clinical Pathology. It is the entry-level professional credential for laboratory professionals who perform and interpret clinical testing across the full laboratory - generalist scientists as well as those working in hospital, reference, public health, and physician-office laboratories. The MLS case studies are 5 cases and about 3,927 words.
1Day-9 Anemia After an Uneventful Transfusion
A 62-year-old woman with myelodysplastic syndrome and a history of two prior pregnancies but no transfusions is admitted with fatigue. Hemoglobin is 6.8 g/dL and platelets are 38 × 10^9/L; the hematologist orders 2 units of RBCs.
779 words, about 4 min2Unresponsive Patient With a Gap and a Gap
A 45-year-old man is brought in unresponsive. Glucose is 95 mg/dL, sodium 137 mmol/L, chloride 98 mmol/L, bicarbonate 6 mmol/L, BUN 14 mg/dL, creatinine 1.1 mg/dL, measured osmolality 350 mOsm/kg (freezing-point depression), ethanol 20 mg/dL, lactate 3.0 mmol/L, and arterial pH 7.18 with PCO2 18 mmHg.
698 words, about 3 min3Spontaneous Hematoma With a Noncorrecting Mixing Study
A 74-year-old man presents with 2 weeks of easy bruising and a large spontaneous hematoma of the left thigh. He takes amlodipine and atorvastatin; he is on no anticoagulant, no antiplatelet agent, and no herbal supplements.
772 words, about 4 min4Coagulase-Negative Staph in a Tunneled Catheter
A 58-year-old woman with short bowel syndrome on home parenteral nutrition through a tunneled central catheter for 14 months presents with fever of 38.9°C, rigors, and hypotension. She has no localizing symptoms.
752 words, about 4 min5The 02:10 Potassium and the Missing Read-Back
At 02:10 on a Saturday, a 180-bed community hospital laboratory has one MLT on duty and one phlebotomist. The chemistry analyzer's sample probe clogged earlier, and 14 specimens were delayed about 50 minutes until the backup analyzer came online.
926 words, about 5 min