Specimen Requirements

Container Type: 3.2% Sodium Citrate Plasma (Blue Top)
Specimen Type: Whole blood or Citrated Plasma
Preferred Volume: 1.8 mL or 2.7 mL whole blood; 2 mL plasma
Emergency Minimum Volume: 0.5 mL plasma
Collection Procedure: Fill blue top tube to indicator line. Test must be performed within 2 hours of specimen collection or centrifuged within 1 hour of collection at 2000 g for 15 minutes and freeze aliquot of plasma.
Specimen Processing: Specimens should be transported uncentrifuged or centrifuged with plasma remaining on top of the cells in an unopened tube kept at room temperature. Assays must be performed on plasma within 2 hours of collection. If time interval between drawing and testing exceeds 2 hours, centrifuge specimen, separate plasma, recentrifuge, separate into clean plastic tube, and freeze at -20^øC or less.
Unacceptable: Refrigerated specimens. Severely hemolyzed, clotted samples or inappropriately filled citrate blue top tubes, specimens more than 2 hours old that have not been separated and frozen at -20^øC or less.
Stability: