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Sampling blood collection tubes
Ensuring sample quality during storage and transport
- Always check your facility’s guidelines for how to store and transport the sample before you begin
- The type of tube, test, and testing equipment may require different storage conditions
- How you store samples affects how stable they are1 and how accurate the test results will be. Storing a sample too long or at the wrong temperature can change several results, such as glucose, lactose, and capillary blood gases
- Some samples must be taken to the lab right away after collection. Always keep them at the temperature your facility and the test require
- For serum or plasma tests, samples should be centrifuged and separated within 2 hours2
- Label every sample as soon as you collect and mix it, and before you leave the patient’s side1
- Sample labels must include the patient’s full name, ID number, date and time the sample was collected, and who collected it
EXPERT TIP:Transporting blood samples correctly and at the right temperature preserves sample quality2
These resources were created with input from leading experts and follow international guidelines, but you should always rely on your own professional judgment when using any methods or techniques described here and make sure to consider all relevant national, regional, and facility-specific rules and standards.
References
1. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) document GP42-A6 (former H04-A6): Procedures and Devices for the Collection of Diagnostic Capillary Blood Specimens; Approved Standard – Sixth Edition. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute; Wayne, Pennsylvania, USA: 2008.
2. Rana, S. V. (2012). No Preanalytical Errors in Laboratory Testing: A Beneficial Aspect for Patients. Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry, 27(4), 319-321. http://doi.org/10.1007/s12291-012-0271-2