Lt blue Sodium citrate (NaCit)

Citrated plasma samples should be collected by double centrifugation. Blood should be collected in a blue-top tube containing 3.2% buffered sodium citrate. Evacuated collection tubes must be filled to completion to ensure a proper blood to anticoagulant ratio. The sample should be mixed immediately by gentle inversion at least six times to ensure adequate mixing of the anticoagulant with the blood. A discard tube is not required prior to collection of coagulation samples, except when using a winged blood collection device (ie, "butterfly"), in which case a discard tube should be used. When noncitrate tubes are collected for other tests, collect sterile and nonadditive (red-top) tubes prior to citrate (blue-top) tubes. Any tube containing an alternate anticoagulant should be collected after the blue-top tube. Gel-barrier tubes and serum tubes with clot initiators should also be collected after the citrate tubes.

If the patient's hematocrit exceeds 55%, the volume of citrate in the collection tube must be adjusted.

1. Centrifuge within 30 minutes of collection.
2. Centrifuge for 10 minutes and carefully remove ²/₃ of the plasma using a plastic transfer pipette, being careful not to disturb the cells.
3. Deliver to a plastic transport tube, cap, and recentrifuge for 10 minutes.
4. Use a second plastic pipette to remove the plasma, staying clear of the platelets at the bottom of the tube.
5. Transfer the plasma into a Screw-cap polypropylene frozen transport vial/tube - 4mL (LabCorp).
6. Freeze immediately and maintain frozen

Screw-cap polypropylene frozen transport vial/tube - 4mL (LabCorp)

Lavender (EDTA), 4mL

Immediatley following collection, mix sample thoroughly by gently inverting 8 - 10, times to prevent clotting

1. Spin within two (2) hours of sample collection
2. Transfer plasma to a Screw-cap polypropylene frozen transport vial/tube - 4mL (LabCorp), labelled as EDTA plasma
3. Freeze within 24 hours of sample collection

Frozen (preferred) - 1 year

Refrigerated - 8 days

• Microbially contaminated samples
• Hemolysis
• Gross lipemia that cannot be cleared by ultracentrifugation
• Serum

Immunonephelometry

<80 mg/dL or >999 mg/dL