January 14, 2021 at 11:51 pm By Marino Bozic, Research and Clinical Services Manager When you come in to make a whole blood or
apheresis donation at SBC, you may notice the phlebotomists collecting tubes from your donation. One of the tubes you will see drawn is a purple (or lavender) top K2 EDTA tube. What is a purple top K2 EDTA tube? It’s a tube coated with spray-dried K2EDTA on its inner wall. EDTA acts as an anticoagulant, binding the calcium ions and interrupting the clotting of the blood sample. EDTA is used for most hematology procedures, assessing complete blood count, preparing EDTA plasma, whole blood
collection and bone marrow specimens. SBC has its own infectious disease testing lab in-house. For every donation made, this lab requires a standard cluster of tubes for testing. That requirement is four purple top tubes and two red top tubes. These tubes are sent along with the blood donations to our testing lab from all centers and mobile blood drives. The purple top tube provides blood for infectious disease tests and ascertaining important data such as ABO/Rh (blood type), as well as
whether the blood is positive or negative for cytomegalovirus (CMV), HIV, hepatitis, and West Nile virus, to name a few. The other reason these tubes are so important is that they serve as valuable specimens is our research community, for both Stanford labs and outside researchers, who require them on a daily basis. They are used for research on a number of hematology tests, including red cell grouping, antibody screening, Rh typing and assessing the state or presence of HIV RNA, complete
blood count (CBC), red cell folate, blood film, reticulocytes and many others. The researchers come to SBC for healthy donor samples and controls for experiments that oftentimes have the purpose of improving patient care. In 2019 and 2020, the Blood Center provided a total of 22,252 tubes to researchers! Of those 22,252 tubes, nearly half of those were the purple top K2 EDTA tubes. These additional purple top tubes are drawn along with the standard tube cluster only when required there is
a research request, which is processed by our Research and Clinical Services team to ensure all samples meet the researchers’ parameters, which can include specifications about donor age, gender, CMV status, stated ethnicity or other criteria. (Note that, while we look at this donor information to determine whom to collect from, the donor’s name and identifying information are not provided to the researchers.) Researchers have two avenues for these tubes. They can request them the day of
draw, which is considered a “same day” request, or they can request tubes that are drawn that day and are ready for pick-up the following morning, which is considered a “next day” request. While we try to provide tubes on the researchers’ timelines, when the researcher has special requests, such as tubes from donors only of a certain age and gender, the availability will depend on how soon someone who meets that criteria is planning to come in and give blood, since we do not typically make
appointments just to draw research tubes. So, the next time you see that purple top tube being drawn, you can take pride knowing that it is embarking on a unique journey with the potential to benefit some really valuable research studies. By giving blood and supporting research, you’re supporting the patients of today and tomorrow! Read more of winter 2021 PULSE at stanfordbloodcenter.org/pulse. OUR MISSION: We lead the fields of transfusion and transplantation medicine by advancing science and technology. We provide hope for the future by teaching the medical leaders of tomorrow. We enhance lives by connecting donors to patients every day. ©2017–2022 Stanford Blood Center. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy — Website Feedback — Contact UsLaboratory test results are dependent on the quality of the specimen submitted. If there is any doubt or question regarding the type of specimen that should be collected, it is imperative that the laboratory is called to clarify the order and specimen requirements. Most laboratory tests are performed on serum, anticoagulated plasma or whole blood. Please see the individual test directory listings for specific requirements. Plasma: Plasma: Draw a sufficient amount of blood with the indicated anticoagulant to yield the necessary plasma volume. Gently mix the blood collection tube by inverting 8-10 times immediately after collection. The majority of samples require separation of plasma from cells within two hours of collection. However, there are few tests that require separation within 15-30 minutes. Please refer to our laboratory test directory for additional information. All specimens must be delivered to the laboratory within 4 hours of collection. Serum: Draw a sufficient amount of blood to yield the necessary serum volume. Invert tube 5-10 times to activate clotting. Allow blood to clot at room temperature for 30 minutes. NOTE: Avoid hemolysis. Whole Blood: Draw a sufficient amount of blood with the indicated anticoagulant. Gently mix the blood collection tube by inverting 8-10 times immediately after collection. NOTE: Tubes intended for whole blood analyses are not to be centrifuged and separated. All patient specimens must be place in biohazard bags for transport to the laboratory. Specimen Collection Tubes
Special Collection Tubes: Some tests require specific tubes for proper analysis. Please contact the laboratory prior to patient draw to obtain the correct tubes for metal analysis or other tests as identified in the individual test listings. Microtainer® tubes (pediatric bullet tubes)*
*Microtainer is a registered trademark of Becton, Dickinson and Company Microbiological Collection Containers Anaerobic Transport Media: Tube with soft agar and reducing agents designed to maintain viability of anaerobic organisms. Fluid can be injected through the diaphragm cap into the tube. To transport swab specimens or tissue, remove the cap, place the specimen into the tube (break off the swab stem if needed) and replace and tighten cap. Blood Culture Media: Draw 20 mL of blood and aseptically inoculate 10 mL into each of the 2 bottles: BACTEC PLUS (blue label) and BACTEC LYTIC (purple label). Use an alcohol prep to clean the top of each bottle before and after inoculation. Charcoal Amies Medium With Swab: This swab is used for the collection and transport of specimens for Bordetella isolation. The specimen of choice is secretions collected from the posterior nasopharynx. Culture Swab™ must be submitted for direct examination. Chlamydia Culture Transport Medium: Use the swab provided to collect the specimen and inoculate the transport medium. If specimen transport is delayed, refrigerate after inoculation. Chlamydia trachomatis, MicroTrak® Direct Stain Specimen Collection Kit: This is used in the collection of specimens for analysis by the MicroTrak C trachomatis direct specimen test. The kit contains slide, swabs, cytology brush, and fixative. The directions for use are on the package. HSV 1, HSV 2, VZV MicroTrak Direct Stain Specimen Collection Kit: For use in the collection of specimens for analysis by the HSV1/HSV2 and VZV direct specimen typing test. This test is for external lesions only. The kit contains slides, swabs, fixative and directions for use. Collection kits are available in microbiology. Isolator Microbial Tube (adult and pediatric): These tubes are used for the collection of blood specimens for the isolation of fungi and mycobacteria. Transport to the laboratory at ambient temperature. Viral Culturette®: This sterile swab is used for the collection and transport of herpes and viral specimens. Transport to the laboratory on wet ice.
Random Collection: For routine and microscopic evaluation, a clean catch or midstream specimen is preferred. Inpatients: The patient should void a small amount of urine, which is discarded. Collect urine in a clean container before voiding is completed. The container should be capped, labeled and refrigerated. Outpatients and Referral Patients: After collection, the transfer of urine into preservative tubes should happen at the collection site. Mix the urine and peel back the protective sticker on the blue cap to expose the cannula. Fill the tubes in this order: gray for culture & sensitivity, yellow-red marble top for urinalysis and non-additive red top . The tube is filled by pushing the tube stopper side down onto the exposed cannula. Each tube has a line indicating the “minimum draw.” Urine Collection for Chlamydia/Gonorrhea PCR: Patient must not have voided for at least 2 hours. The first stream of urine is collected and submitted for testing. 24-hour Urine Collection: UCI Pathology Services provides 24-hour urine collection containers. Use the following procedure for the correct specimen collection and preparation:
For more information call us toll free at 1-888-UCI-LABS What color stopper tube is used to collect a blood specimen for a complete blood cell CBC?Quiz
What color stopper must be used to collect the blood specimen for each of the tests listed complete blood count?A red-stopper tube is used to collect a blood specimen for most blood chemistries.
What color tube should be collected for a CBC quizlet?A CBC is performed on a whole blood sample. It should be collected in a lavender top tube containing ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid additive as an anticoagulant. Blue top tubes contain sodium citrate anticoagulant and are commonly used for coagulation studies (PT, PTT, etc.).
What is a yellow top tube used for?Yellow-top tube (ACD)
This tube contains ACD, which is used for the collection of whole blood for special tests. NOTE: After the tube has been filled with blood, immediately invert the tube 8-10 times to mix and ensure adequate anticoagulation of the specimen.
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