Specimen Requirements

Container Type: 3.2% Sodium Citrate Plasma (Blue Top) and EDTA (Lavender Top)
Specimen Type: Citrated Plasma and Whole blood EDTA
Preferred Volume: 1.8 mL or 2.7 mL citrated whole blood; 2 mL EDTA whole blood
Emergency Minimum Volume: 0.5 mL citrated plasma, 0.30 mL EDTA whole blood
Collection Procedure: Fill blue top tube to indicator line. Test must be performed within 4 hours of specimen collection or centrifuge at 2000 g for 15 minutes and freeze aliquots of plasma.
Specimen Processing: Sodium Citrate specimens should be transported uncentrifuged or centrifuged with plasma remaining on top of the cells in an unopened tube kept at room temperature. Assays on nonheparinized patients must be performed within 4 hours of collection. Assays on specimens suspected to contain heparin therapy must be performed within 2 hours of collection. If time interval between drawing and testing exceeds alloted time, centrifuge specimen, separate plasma, recentrifuge, separate into clean plastic tube, and freeze at -20^øC or less. EDTA samples should be stored and transported refrigerated.
Required Patient Info: Anti-coagulation therapy
Unacceptable Condition:  Refrigerated Sodium Citrate specimens. Clotted samples. Grossly hemolyzed. Inappropriately filled Sodium Citrate tubes, Sodium Citrate specimens more than 4 hours old that have not been separated and frozen at -20^øC or less.
Stability:
 

3.2% Sodium Citrate Plasma (Blue Top)

EDTA (Lavender Top)