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[2] Blue ("light blue") Sodium citrate (weak calcium chelator/anticoagulant) Coagulation tests such as prothrombin time (PT) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT) and thrombin time (TT). Tube must be filled to the proper line. Plain red No additive: Serum: Total complement activity, cryoglobulins: Gold (sometimes red and grey "tiger top" [3])
These tubes should be used with care when measuring drug or hormone levels because the drug or hormone may diffuse from the serum into the gel, causing a reduction in measured level. The gel in SST II tubes (which appears slightly less opaque) is supposed [ weasel words ] to have less effect on drug levels in serum.
Vacutainer tubes may contain additives designed to stabilize and preserve the specimen prior to analytical testing. Tubes are available with a safety-engineered stopper, with a variety of labeling options and draw volumes. The color of the top indicates the additives in the vial. [1] Vacutainer tubes were invented by Joseph Kleiner in 1949. [2]
Phlebotomy is the process of making a puncture in a vein, usually in the arm, with a cannula for the purpose of drawing blood. [1] The procedure itself is known as a venipuncture , which is also used for intravenous therapy .
Reagent testers might show the colour of the desired substance while not showing a different colour for a more dangerous additive. [2] For this reason it is essential to use multiple different tests to show all adulterants.
While colors vary between manufacturers, stopper colors generally are associated with each additive as listed below. Because the additives from each tube can be left on the needle used to fill the tubes, they must be drawn in a specific order to ensure that cross contamination will not negatively affect testing of the samples if multiple tubes ...
Whole blood is taken with either citrate or oxalate additive (if using the vacutainer system, this is a light blue top tube). As with other coagulation assays, the tube must not be over- or under-filled in order to ensure the correct anticoagulant-to-blood ratio: one part anticoagulant per nine parts blood.
A catheter (plastic tube) connects the port to a vein. Under the skin, the port has a septum (a silicone membrane) through which drugs can be injected and blood samples can be drawn many times, usually with less discomfort for the patient (and clinician) than a more typical "needle stick".