Specimen Requirements

Container Type: Lithium Heparin (Green Top) or Serum Separator (Gold Top)
Specimen Type: Plasma or Serum
Preferred Volume: 1 mL
Emergency Minimum Volume: 0.3 mL
Collection Procedure: Collect specimen 2 hours after meal, as directed by patient's provider.

Specimen Processing: Separate serum or plasma from cells within 30 minutes of collection by centrifugation. Aliquot serum or plasma into a separate tube if parent tube does not have a gel barrier. Store and transport refrigerated.
Unacceptable Conditions: Specimens not separated from cells within 30 minutes of collection (except Fluoride/Oxalate (Gray Top)).
Alternate Specimens: Plain Serum Tube (Red Top), Fluoride/Oxalate (Gray Top), EDTA Plasma (Lavender Top)

Stability: