Color-Coded Tubes Flashcards
Tests: Blood culture
Additive/s: Sodium polyanethol sulfonate
Number of inversions: 8 – 10 times
Specimen: Whole blood
STERILE TUBE
Tests: Coagulation tests
Additive/s: Sodium citrate (3.2% or 3.8%) – because of the preservation of labile factors
Number of inversions: 3 - 4 times
Specimen: Whole blood
COAGULATION TUBES
Test: Specialized platelet testing
▪ Contains sodium citrate, theophylline, adenosine and dipyridamole
▪ Minimizes in vitro platelet activation and the artificial entry of platelet factors
into plasma
Glass CTAD tube with a light blue Hemogard closure
- Thrombin and soybean trypsin inhibitor
▪ Providing serum for determinations of certain fibrin degradation products
Special blue stopper
Tests: Stat and routine chemistry tests, ammonia, electrolytes, arterial blood gases
Additive/s: Silica (clot activator), none in glass
Number of inversions: 5 times for plastic tubes; none for glass tubes
Specimen: Serum after centrifugation
SERUM TUBES (WITH OR WITHOUT CLOT ACTIVATOR/GEL)
a. Red top
Tests: Most chemistry tests; “stat” tests
Additive/s: Spray-coated silica (to increase platelet activation) and a polymer barrier gel
Number of inversions: 5 times, complete clotting within 30 minutes
Specimen: Serum after centrifugation
SERUM TUBES (WITH OR WITHOUT CLOT ACTIVATOR/GEL)
b. Serum-separator tubes: Gold BD Hemogard closure or Red-gray (Tiger-speckled)
Function: Discard tube – non-additive for coagulation studies or when using a winged
blood collection set
Number of inversions: None
SERUM TUBES (WITH OR WITHOUT CLOT ACTIVATOR/GEL)
c. Red/Light Gray and Clear top
Tests: Chemistry (stat tests), Serology, Blood bank
Additive/s: Heparin with sodium, lithium or ammonium ion
Number of inversions: 5 – 10 times (depending on the manufacturer)
Specimen: Whole blood
HEPARIN TUBES (WITH OR WITHOUT GEL PLASMA SEPARATOR)
a. Green
Tests: Chemistry with use of plasma (most especially potassium because heparin
prevents the release of potassium by platelets during clotting)
Additive/s: Lithium heparin and Polymer gel
Number of inversions: 8 times
Specimen: Whole blood
HEPARIN TUBES (WITH OR WITHOUT GEL PLASMA SEPARATOR)
b. Light Green or Green-gray: Plasma separator tubes
Tests: Routine hematology procedures (CBC, sedimentation rate)
Additive/s: Spray-dried K2EDTA or Liquid K3EDTA; Powdered Na2EDTA
Number of inversions: 8 times
Specimen: Whole blood
EDTA TUBES
a. Lavender (Purple) top
Tests: Blood bank (Compatibility testing)
Additive/s: K2EDTA
Number of inversions: 8 times
Specimen: Whole blood
EDTA TUBES
b. Pink top
Tests: Molecular diagnostics but can be used for MI panels and ammonia levels,
depending on the test methodology and instrumentation
Additive/s: Spray-coated K2EDTA
Number of inversions: 8 times
Specimen: Whole blood
PEARL/WHITE TOP: PLASMA PREPARATION TUBES
Tests: Lactic acid, Glucose tolerance test, Fasting blood sugar, Blood alcohol levels
Additive/s: Anti-glycolytic agent (Sodium fluoride or Iodoacetate) and Potassium oxalate
or Na2EDTA
Number of inversions: 8 times
Specimen: Whole blood
GLYCOLYTIC INHIBITOR TUBES
Tests: Stat serum chemistry determinations and samples from patients receiving
anticoagulant therapy
Additive/s: Thrombin – clots within 5 minutes
Number of inversions: 8 times
Specimen: Serum
THROMBIN-BASED TUBES
a. Yellow/gray and Orange top
Tests: Stat serum tests
Additive/s: Thrombin-based medical clotting agent – clots within 5 minutes and
separation gel
Number of inversions: 5 times
Specimen: Serum
THROMBIN-BASED TUBES
b. Orange top: Rapid serum Tests (RSTs)
Tests: Lead determination
Additive/s: K2EDTA
Number of inversions: 8 times
Specimen: Whole blood
SPECIAL COLLECTION TUBES
1. TAN
Tests: Toxicology, trace metals, nutritional analysis
Additive/s: Spray-coated silicon clot activator or; K2EDTA or Heparin
Number of inversions: 8 times
Specimen: Serum or plasma
ROYAL BLUE
Tests: Cellular studies in blood bank, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) phenotyping
and DNA and paternity testing
Additive/s: Acid Citrate Dextrose
Number of inversions: 8 times
Specimen: Whole blood
YELLOW
Tess: Westergren sedimentation rate
Additive/s: Buffered sodium citrate (4:1 ratio)
Number of inversions: 8 times
Specimen: Whole blood
BLACK
Tests: Whole blood molecular diagnostics testing;
Additive/s: Sodium citrate and Polyester gel and a Density gradient liquid
Number of inversions: 8 times
Specimen: Whole blood
LIGHT BLUE/BLACK: CELL PREPARATION TUBES (CPT)
Tests: Whole blood molecular diagnostics testing
Additive/s: Sodium heparin and a Polyester gel and Density gradient liquid
Number of inversions: 8 times
Specimen: Whole blood
RED/GREEN
Sodium citrate
Coagulation
Light blue
None
Chemistry, Blood Bank, Serology/Immunology
Red
Clot activator
Chemistry
Red
None
NA (discard tube only)
Red/light gray
no given answer in additive and department
Clear
Clot activator and gel separator
Chemistry
Red/black (tiger)
Gold
Red/gold
Lithium heparin and gel separator
Chemistry
Green/gray
Light green
Lithium heparin, Sodium heparin, Ammonium heparin
Chemistry
Green
EDTA
Hematology
Lavender
(purple)
EDTA
Blood Bank
Pink
Sodium fluoride and potassium, oxalate, Sodium fluoride and EDTA, Sodium fluoride
Chemistry
Gray
Thrombin
Chemistry
Orange
Gray/yellow
None, EDTA, Sodium heparin
Chemistry
Royal blue
EDTA
no department given
Tan
Sodium polyanethol sulfonate (SPS)
Microbiology
Yellow
Acid citrate dextrose (ACD)
Blood Bank/Immunohematology
Yellow
Yellow SPS
Sterile media bottles
Blood cultures (sterile
collections)
Minimizes chance of microbial contamination
Blood cultures (sterile
collections)
Light blue
Coagulation tubes
The first additive tube in the order because all
other additive tubes affect coagulation tests
Coagulation tubes
Red
Glass nonadditive
tubes
Prevents contamination by additives in other
tubes
Glass nonadditive
tubes
Red
Plastic clot activator
tubes
Filled after coagulation tests because silica
particles activate clotting and affect coagulation tests (carryover of silica into
subsequent tubes can be overridden by
anticoagulant in them)
Plastic clot activator
tubes
Red and gray rubber
Gold plastic
Serum separator tubes
(SSTs)
Filled after coagulation tests because silica
particles activate clotting and affect
coagulation tests (carryover of silica into
subsequent tubes can be overridden by
anticoagulant in them)
Serum separator tubes
(SSTs)
Green and gray rubber
Light green plastic
Green
Plasma separator
tubes (PSTs)
Heparin tubes
Heparin affects coagulation tests and
interferes in collection of serum specimens; it
causes the least interference in tests other
than coagulation tests
Plasma separator
tubes (PSTs)
Heparin tubes
Lavender, pink, or
purple
EDTA tubes
Pearl top
Plasma preparation
tubes (PPTs)
Responsible for more carryover problems
than any other additive; elevates Na and K
levels, chelates and decreases calcium and
iron levels, elevates PT and PTT results
EDTA tubes
Plasma preparation
tubes (PPTs)
Gray
Oxalate/fluoride tubes
Sodium fluoride and potassium oxalate affect
sodium and potassium levels, respectively.
Filled after hematology tubes because
oxalate damages cell membranes and
causes abnormal RBC morphology. Oxalate
interferes in enzyme reactions
Oxalate/fluoride tubes
