Specimen Consideration Flashcards
- Contain a vacuum
- Used with vacutainer and Syringe Systems
- Stoppers universal color coded: indicates
contents - Have an expiration date
BLOOD COLLECTION TUBES
TOP TUBES THAT HAVE NO ANTI-COAGULANT
Red-top tube, Gold or Mottled-red-gray top tube
- (Most common use in clinical chemistry)
- 5x invertions
Red-top tube
- In vitro clotting due to GLASS
- No additive
- Glass surface activates clotting sequence
- Do not mix
- SERUM: use for TDM (Therapeutic Drug
Monitoring)
. Red-top tube: GLASS
- Contain additive to activate clotting
sequence - contain inert gel → SST (Serum Separator
Tube) - Do invert to mix additive and initiative
clotting sequence - SERUM
Red-top tube: PLASTIC
- Contain clot activator and gel (SST)
- Invert to mix and initiate clotting sequence
- Serum
- 5 x inversion
-Not cos-effective
-5-15 mins clotting
-chem, sero, and immuno test
Gold or Mottled-red-gray top tube
- Trace metal-free
- Iron, copper, zinc
Royal blue-top tube
Label color indicates contents:
- Red:
- Purple:
- Green:
- Red: no additive = serum
- Purple: EDTA = whole blood or plasma
- Green: heparin = whole blood or plasma
- Anticoagulant = sodium citrate
- Binds calcium
- Must be full
Blood: anticoagulant ratio critical - Must be on ice if not analyzed within 30 minutes
- Coagulation studies
- Common test examples are: PT, Platelets, aPPT
Blue-top tube
important ion for coagulation,
necessary for clotting. Factor IV ionic Ca2+
CALCIUM
Anticoagulant = heparin
* Inhibits thrombin formation
* Must be full and on ice if need pH, ionized Ca
* Most chemistry tests, STAT lab (PST)
* Decreases time needed for blood to clot, makes
turnaround time better
Green-top tube:
– natural anticoagulant inside the body
(in vivo)
Heparan
Three formulations of Heparin
Lithium heparin,
Ammonium heparin, Sodium heparin
ionized Ca
Green-top tube
Commonly used for viral toxicology and stat
tests
- Arterial blood gas (ABG), Osmotic fragility
test (OFT), Ammonia
Green-top tube
- Anticoagulant = EDTA
(Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) - Binds calcium
- Chelates calcium
- Hematology studies: CBC
Purple-top tube (Lavender)
spray-dried: plastic tube; will not
dilute the sample
K2 – Versene
liquid form: glass tubes; dilutes the sample 1-2%
K3 – Sequestrene
Grey-top tube:
* Anticoagulant = ?
- Binds calcium
- PLASMA, Whole blood
potassium oxalate
Grey-top tube:
* Antiglycolytic agent = ?
- Maintains plasma glucose levels
- Prevent glycolysis
sodium fluoride
Limited use: glucose, lactic acid
Grey-top tube
Prevents glycolysis because it fluoride forms and
ionic complex with magnesium thereby inhibiting
the Mg++ dependent enzyme,
ENOLASE