How to Choose the Right Blood Collection Tubes?

Choosing the right blood collection tubes is, without a doubt, a daunting task. The tests performed in the laboratory require equipment that gives accurate results. Selecting the right blood collection tubes from the available types thus gets challenging. For example, there are tubes made of silicate, glass, bd vacutainer blood collection tubes, etc. The real underlying question is - how to choose the right one.

To make this process a little easier, we’ve listed several important ways to figure out the right type of blood collection tube. So let’s dive right in.

Know the Type of Blood Sample

Now, whether you’re collecting your samples at home, a clinic, or a laboratory center, you need to know the type of blood collection tubes that suit your requirements. The first and foremost thing to verify is the types of samples you can and can’t use. For example, serum tubes have silica particles that activate clothing. So if you’re looking for a protein that has nothing to do with coagulation, serum tubes are a great way to start.

Serum, put simply, is what remains in the blood after it clots. It is devoid of coagulation factors which can be a stable way to measure the blood’s lipids, hormones, proteins, electrolytes, etc., so ensure you know the type of blood sample you want so as to select the blood collection tube type.

Consider Whether you Want Cells or Plasma

After knowing the type of blood sample you need, consider if you need plasma or cells (plasma is a cell-free liquid content coagulation factor). EDTA vacuum blood collection tubes are apt for this category. They prevent clotting by chelating calcium which is an important component of coagulation. These tubes identify and count the blood cells, blood typing, etc. These tubes usually contain either K2EDTA or K3EDTA.

Know Whether You Want to Perform DNA Analysis

Acid citrate dextrose are the type of blood collection tubes not used commonly but majorly used for blood and tisues typing and to perform DNA analysis. So go for these type of tubes when you need DNA analysis.

Identify If You Need to Perform Glucose or Lactate Testing

For glucose and lactate testing, sodium fluoride is an antiglycolytic agent, most suitable to perform these tests. They do contain an anticoagulant which helps in getting accurate test results.

In Conclusion

Hopefully, the article helped you understand key factors when choosing blood collection tubes for your test or experiment. Clinivex is a pharmaceutical reference standards supplier in the USA that manufactures and supplies several laboratory equipments. If you’ve been looking to purchase such equipment in bulk, go through their website to learn more about their products. All the best!

Source: https://whizolosophy.com/category/overall-health/article-essay/how-tochoose-the-right-blood-collection-tubes