Sampling/Lab Methods - Ex 1

Question 1

Red-Top Tube

Answer 1

Plain - contains no additives

Allows blood to clot for serum collection

Question 2

Red and Grey Tube (Tiger)

Answer 2

“Sure-sep” or serum gel tube. Contains clot activator and serum gel separator

You don’t have to separate serum when using these tubes

Question 3

Lavender Top Tube

Answer 3

EDTA - anticoagulant

Used for hematologic procedures, CBC most common

Also used for body cavity fluid collection

Question 4

Light Blue Top Tube

Answer 4

Sodium citrate - anticoagulant

Used for coagulation studies

Tube must be filled completely and mixed well! Underfilling results in erroneous coag times

Question 5

Green Top Tube

Answer 5

Sodium heparin - anticoagulant

Used for biochemistry panels and CBCs

Nice for small animals (small amount of blood collected) or emergency situations (don’t have to wait for blood to clot)

Question 6

Grey Top Tube

Answer 6

Potassium oxalate - anticoagulant
Sodium fluoride - preservative

Used to preserve glucose in whole blood

Question 7

Forcing blood into tube

Answer 7

can cause hemolysis

Question 8

Size of needle used for filling tube

Answer 8

Nothing smaller than 20G

Question 9

Underfilling an EDTA tube

Answer 9

Erythrocyte shrinkage and erroneous PCV

Question 10

Underfilling a blue-top tube

Answer 10

Can result in pro-longed coagulation times

Question 11

Blood left out at room temp for too long (EDTA tube)

Answer 11

Erythrocytes swell and leukocytes degrade

Question 12

Cats - Reticulocytes

Answer 12

Cats have both aggregate and punctate

• aggregate –> punctate in 12 hrs
• punctate –> mature erythrocyte in 10-12 days

***Only aggregate forms are polychromatophilic and thus counted