Specimen Requirements

Container/Tube:

Preferred: 0.5mL Syringe with anaerobic heparinized whole blood.

Acceptable: Dark Green Tube with anaerobic heparinized whole blood, plasma or anaerobic mint-green PST, anaerobic. If specimen is drawn in a vacutainer it must be full. 

Stability:  Whole Blood and plasma stability is preferred at 4°C for up to 24 hrs.  Stable for 30 minutes at ambient temperature.

Collection Instructions:  Patient should be in a relaxed state and tourniquet application as brief as possible.  Specimen must be kept as anaerobic as possible. Vacutainer must be properly filled and remain sealed until analysis is performed.

Transportation:  Samples (plasma or whole blood) from external laboratories required to be transported on ice or ice bath.  Do not use ice blocks as specimens may freeze.