Specimen Requirements

Specimen must arrive within 3 hours of draw.

Container/Tube: Light blue-top (3.2% sodium citrate) tube

Specimen Volume: 4.5 mL (pediatric: 2.7 mL) of sodium citrate whole blood

Transport Temperature: Ambient
Collection Instructions: Forward promptly.

Note: 1. Specimen is stable only 4 hours. If testing cannot be completed within 4 hours of draw, remove & freeze plasma as follows: Specimen must be double-spun (spin, remove plasma, spin plasma again and remove aliquot) in a centrifuge validated to produce platelet-poor plasma (<10,000/mL) . Freeze final aliquot at -20° C (stable for up to 14 days frozen). 

2. For specimens drawn in an office, specimen must arrive in laboratory within 3 hours of draw. Please draw specimen close to scheduled courier pickup time, clearly label specimen for Priority testing and advise courier of need for priority delivery. Transport at room temperature..