Of the medical specialties that perform plastic surgery, board certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery requires the most surgical training: a minimum of five years. This Board was established in 1937.
Blood doping is the practice of boosting the number of red blood cells in the bloodstream in order to enhance athletic performance. Because such blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the muscles, a higher concentration in the blood can improve an athleteâs aerobic capacity (VO 2 max) and endurance.
What is being tested? Blood cultures are procedures done to detect an infection in the blood and identify the cause. Infections of the bloodstream are most commonly caused by bacteria (bacteremia) but can also be caused by yeasts or other fungi (fungemia) or by a virus (viremia). Although blood can be used to test for viruses, this article focuses on the use of blood cultures to detect and identify bacteria and fungi in the blood.