Iodine Information and Courses from MediaLab, Inc.

These are the MediaLab courses that cover Iodine and links to relevant pages within the course.

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Cerebrospinal Fluid
Other Causes of Xanthochromia Examples of sources of pigment other than oxyhemoglobin and bilirubin that can cause xanthochromia include: methemoglobinincreased CSF protein (> 150 mg/dL)contamination by skin antiseptic (iodine or merthiolate)	View Page

Chemical Screening of Urine by Reagent Strip
False Positive Results False positive results may occur when patients are on large doses of chloropromazine, and may occur in the presence of metabolites of phenazopyridine. When these compounds are present, the urine becomes red. Metabolites of Iodine® (etodolac) may cause false positive or atypical results.	View Page

CLIA Chemistry / Urinalysis Review
Circulating organic iodine is found primarily in the form of:	View Page

CLIA Microbiology / Serology Review
The Iodine prep method is used to detect which of the following protozoan stages:	View Page
The iodine prep is most helpful to identify which of the following parasitic stages:	View Page

Phlebotomy
Discussion This phlebotomist violated hospital procedures in several ways that could adversely impact patient care: Cleaning the site only with alcohol, not iodine, could result in a false-positive contaminated blood culture. This might result in the patient receiving unnecessary intravenous antibiotics, and could prolong the patients hospital stay unnecessarily. Drawing both cultures at the same time lessens the chance of recovering a bloodstream organism.Drawing both cultures from the same site might result in both of them being contaminated, making it very difficult for the physician to distinguish contamination from a “real” bloodstream infection.Relevant topics:Blood cultures: introduction, Avoid skin contamination, Blood culture site preparation 1, Blood culture site preparation 2	View Page
Sterilization materials for phlebotomy Sterilization materials generally contain either: Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), usually in the form of prep pads, or Iodine as povidone-iodine solution ( Betadine™, Purdue Frederick) in the form of solutions , swabs, or swab sticks.	View Page
Remove iodine Clean the venipuncture site with alcohol to remove all the iodine from the patients arm, then apply a bandage.	View Page
Site preparation continued Finally, prep the site with an iodine swab. Start at the center of the site, and move outward in enlarging concentric circles. Do not go over the same area twice.Stop when you have covered an area about 4 inches in diameter. Allow this area to dry for at least one minute so that the iodine has time to kill the skin bacteria.	View Page
Equipment These items are needed to obtain a blood culture specimen :Gloves (sterile if available)Alcohol pads and sterile gauze padsTourniquet and iodine swabsBlood culture bottlesSyringes, needles, and/or evacuated tube system.	View Page
Site preparation Clean the site thoroughly with alcohol, then with iodine, to rid the skin of contaminating bacteria.Next, clean the site again with alcohol, and allow it to dry.	View Page
Feel the vein If you need to feel for a vein again, you must first prep your gloved finger tip with iodine to prevent contamination.	View Page
Clean the bottle tops Clean blood culture bottles while the iodine on the venipuncture site is drying. Wipe the tops of the blood culture bottles, first with a new iodine swab, then with a clean alcohol pad.	View Page
Additional tips continued Good sterilization is the key to avoiding contaminates:Let the iodine dry before drawing the blood.Be sure to wipe your gloved finger with iodine if palpation is necessary after cleaning. Always remove iodine from blood culture bottle with alcohol to prevent iodine from “sterilizing” the culture, and causing a false negative result.	View Page
Allergies Posted signs should alert you to patient allergies. Some patients may be allergic to latex gloves or tourniquets, or to iodine.Avoid using latex in case of allergy. Latex allergies are fairly common, and can be severe. May health-care institutions have reduced the use of latex because of allergies, but complete elimination of latex in the hospital environment is difficult, since it is a component of many medical products.	View Page
Blood Collect the blood specimen next, if required.Be sure to use the iodine swab provided in the collection kit to disinfect the venipuncture site.Do not use an alcohol swab, as this might lead to suspicion of a falsely elevated blood alcohol result.	View Page

The Urine Microscopic: Microscopic Analysis of Urine Sediment
The reaction which differentiates crystals from starch is:	View Page
Starch Materials Cornstarch, talcum powder, and other starch materials may be mistaken for crystals. A drop or two of dilute iodine solution will stain the talcum particles blue-black.	View Page
A urine specimen was delayed in transport to a medical laboratory. Upon examination of the urine sediment, the technologist cannot distinguish between bacteria and amorphous urates. Which of the following reagents would dissolve the crystals?	View Page
Iodine will confirm the presence of:	View Page
A technologist is trying to enumerate the number of fat droplets in a urine sediment which also contains numerous red blood cells. Which of the following reagents would stain the fat droplets orange red?	View Page