Equipment Selection and Maintenance Flashcards
Test Tube Color - Yellow
Blood culture and sterile specimens, ACD solution -additive used is sodium polyanetholesulfonate.
Test Tube Color - Blue
Commonly used for coagulation tests (PT, PTT, fibrinogen
Test Tube Color - Red
No additive required, Chemistry testing, Blood Bank Testing, Thixotropic gel can be added
Test Tube Color - Green
Additive used is sodium heparin or lithium heparin, which is a natural anticoagulant that inhibits thrombin. Commonly used for routine chemistry testing.
Test Tube Color - Lavender
Additive used is ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). Additive binds the calcium needed for clot formation. Commonly used for hematology testing (CBC, reticulocyte count, erythrocyte sedimentation).
Test Tube Color - Gray
Additives used are sodium fluoride, a preservative that inhibits glycolic action, and potassium oxalate, an anticoagulant that binds calcium. Commonly used for glucose tolerance and lactic acid measurement.
Test Tube Color - Royal Blue or Tan
Used to collect samples for nutritional studies, therapeutic drug monitoring, and toxicology. Also used for testing aluminum, copper, arsenic, calcium, etc. Tan topped is used for lead testing and contains EDTA.
Anticoagulants
Prevent blood from clotting
Clot Activator
Promotes coagulation. Thrombin directly increases clotting and is therefore used for stat serum chemistries or for patients taking anticoagulants
Polymer gel (or thixotropic gel)
Is used to separate plasma and serum
Type of antiseptic
The type of antiseptic used in specimen collection is determined by the tests being ordered.
Isopropyl Alcohol
The most common antiseptic used for cleaning a puncture site
Iodine
When drawing samples for blood cultures, iodine is used to prevent contamination of the sample by skin flora
Site selection
The site from which a specimen is
Hematomas
Test results may be altered cause blood drawn from a hematoma not as fresh as venous blood