Specimen Requirements

Specimen must arrive and be tested within 4 hours of draw (1 hour if on Heparin).

Specimen Type: Whole blood
Container/Tube: Blue top (3.2% sodium citrate)

Specimen Volume: Full tube

Collection Instructions: Click here to link to a You Tube video tutorial

1. Immediately after draw, invert tubes several times to mix blood with additive.

2. Send specimen in original tube.

3. If there is a delay in transport of >4 hours (1 hour if on Heparin), specimen must be double-centrifuged to prepare a platelet-free plasma specimen as follows:

a. Immediately centrifuge at 3,200 rpm for 15 minutes.

b. Carefully remove plasma from cells avoiding platelet/buffy coat, and transfer plasma into a plastic tube.

c. Centrifuge plastic tube at 3,200 rpm for 15 minutes.

d. Carefully remove top portion of plasma and transfer plasma into a plastic tube leaving approximately 250 mL in bottom to discard.

e. Double-centrifuged plasma should be aliquoted (0.5 mL-1 mL each) into clearly labeled plastic tubes. (Glass vial is not acceptable.)

Note: Number of tests ordered will determine number of aliquots needed, generally 1 aliquot per test.

f. Specimens should be frozen at< -40° C, if possible, and sent together in same container with at least 5 lbs of dry ice. Specimens must arrive in a frozen state.

4.  If the patient has a hematocrit of> 55 (within the last 14 days):

a.   A new 'Adjust Tube' will automatically be ordered.

b.  Phlebotomist or RN should contact the lab to obtain a tube with the correct anticoagulant ratio.

c.  The lab will mark the tube appropriately as 'adjusted'.

d.  Tube will be sent by the lab to the phlebotomist or RN to draw the patient.

e.  Process the 'adjusted' tube as stated above in steps 1-3.

Additional Information: Double-centrifuged specimen is critical for accurate results as platelet contamination may cause spurious results.