monk. n. A man who is a member of a brotherhood living in a monastery and devoted to a discipline prescribed by his order: a Carthusian monk; a Buddhist monk.
Complete Blood Count (CBC): EDTA tubes (purple top): Purple top tubes should be 50-60% full. Do not overfill tubes. Gently mix specimen by inverting 5-10 times and place it on a rocker for up to 30 minutes, then refrigerate at 2-8Â°C. When a differential is required as part of a CBC, slides must be prepared within 12 hours of blood collection. Refrigerated EDTA blood is stable for CBC for up to 24 hours.
A nasogastric tube is a narrow bore tube passed into the stomach via the nose. It is used for short- or medium-term nutritional support, and also for aspiration of stomach contents - eg, for decompression of intestinal obstruction. A wide bore tube is used if drainage is needed; otherwise, a finer bore tube is used. Fine bore feeding tubes (gauge less than 9) cause less discomfort and less risk of rhinitis, pharyngitis or oesophageal erosion. The use of a nasogastric tube is suitable for enteral feeding for up to six weeks. Polyurethane or silicone feeding tubes are unaffected by gastric acid and can therefore remain in the stomach for a longer period than PVC tubes, which can only be used for up to two weeks.