sputum

sputum /spu·tum/ (spu´tum) [L.] expectoration; matter ejected from the trachea, bronchi, and lungs through the mouth.

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sputum cruen´tum  bloody sputum.

nummular sputum  sputum in rounded coinlike disks.

rusty sputum  sputum stained with blood or blood pigments.

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spu·tum (spytm)

n. pl. spu·ta (-t)

Matter coughed up and usually expelled from the mouth, especially mucus or mucopurulent matter expectorated in diseases of the air passages.

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Sputum

The substance that is brought up from the lungs and airway when a person coughs or spits. It is usually a mixture of saliva and mucus, but may contain blood or pus in patients with lung abscess or other diseases of the lungs.

Mentioned in: Aspergillosis, Blastomycosis, Chlamydial Pneumonia, Cough, Eosinophilic Pneumonia, Lung Abscess, Lung Biopsy, Pneumococcal Pneumonia, Pneumocystis Pneumonia, Pneumonia, Sputum Culture

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sputum

[spyo̅o̅′təm]

Etymology: L, spittle

material coughed up from the lungs and expectorated through the mouth. It contains mucus, cellular debris, or microorganisms, and it also may contain blood or pus. The amount, color, and constituents of the sputum are important in the diagnosis of many illnesses, including tuberculosis, pneumonia, cancer of the lung, and the pneumoconioses.

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sputum [spu´tum]

mucous secretion from the lungs, bronchi, and trachea that is ejected through the mouth, in contrast to saliva, which is the secretion of the salivary glands. Called also expectoration.

induced sputum a sputum specimen produced for diagnostic tests by aerosol administration of a hypertonic saline solution.

sputum specimen a sample of mucous secretion from the bronchi and lungs. The specimen may be examined microscopically for the presence of malignant cells (cytologic examination) or tested to identify pathogenic bacteria (bacteriologic examination). It is essential that the specimen obtained be mucus from the lungs and bronchi and not saliva. For those unable to produce sputum for examination, an aerosol may be used to increase the flow of secretions and stimulate coughing. The optimum time for collection of a sputum specimen is in the morning before eating or drinking anything. At this time secretions accumulated in the bronchi through the night are more readily available, and, should the coughing produce gagging, the patient is less likely to vomit if the stomach is empty. Specimens collected for bacteriologic culture must be placed in a sterile container and handled with care to avoid contamination from sources other than the sputum.

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sputum (spū´tm),

n a matter ejected from the oral cavity; saliva mixed with mucus and other substances from the respiratory tract.

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sputum

mucous secretion from the lungs, bronchi and trachea which is ejected through the mouth by humans but not so in animals and it is assumed that it is swallowed.

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sputum cup

a small—1 inch diameter—cup on a long handle for the collection of sputum from the pharynx of a large animal.

sputum specimen

a sample of mucous secretion from the bronchi and lungs. The specimen may be examined microscopically for the presence of malignant cells (cytological examination) or tested to identify pathogenic bacteria (bacteriological examination).

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sputum

Semiliquid diagnostic 'goo' obtained from deep coughs from the lungs, bronchi, trachea, which is collected sterilely and examined by cytology and/or cultured Complications Laceration of coronary arteries, or liver due to puncture, arrhythmias caused by needle irritation, vasovagal arrest, pneumothorax, infection. See Brick-red sputum, Currant jelly sputum, Induced sputum, Prune juice sputum, Rusty sputum.

Sputum–diagnostic utility

Cytologic examination Specimen is smeared on a glass slide, stained with one of several dyes, and examined by LM; the only cells seen in normal sputa are those of tracheobronchial tree and lungs

Culture & sensitivity The specimen is swabbed on a culture plate in the microbiology laboratory to detect the growth of potentially harmful bacteria or fungi