Specimen Requirements

Container/Tube: 2 Gold-top serum gel tubes or 2 plain, red-top tubes

Specimen Volume: 4 mL of serum

Transport Temperature: See collection instructions

Collection Instructions:

1. Specimen cannot be drawn at an offsite draw station. 

2. Patient should be fasting minimum 4 hours.

3. Pre-warm 2 gold-top serum gel tubes or 2 plain, red-top tubes for 5 minutes in an infant heel 

    warmer.  

4. Immediately after collection, wrap the infant heel warmer securely around the tubes of blood

    with tape or rubber band.

5. For samples collected at Munson Medical Center: Deliver immediately to Microbiology

    Department and hand to the technologist.

6. For samples collected at other hosptials:

         a. Allow blood to clot at 37° C for at least 1 full hour. It is important that the specimen 

             completely clots at 37° C or cryoglobulin will be lost.

         b. Centrifuge at 37° C or ambient temperature. Do not use a refrigerated centrifuge.  It is very

              important that the specimen is not chilled until after separation of serum from red cells.

         c.  Place serum into an appropriately labeled plastic vial.

         d. Transport to Munson Medical Center Laboratories at either room temperature or

              refrigerated.

Additional Information: Analysis cannot be performed with <3 mL of serum. Smaller volumes are insufficient to detect clinically important trace (mixed) cryoglobulins. Less than 3 mL serum will require draw of a new specimen.