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The following "order of draw", is the approved order as established by NCCLS (National Committee for Laboratory Standards). This "order of draw" should be followed whenever multiple tube draws are undertaken. Blood Culture: Each contains an appropriate media to preserve/promote growth of specific microbes. (See section D, "Collection of Blood Cultures". Red Stopper (serum): No anticoagulant or clot activator. Usually used by Chemistry and Mailouts. Light Blue Stopper (plasma): Contains 3.2% sodium citrate as anticoagulant. These tubes are used for coagulation studies and need to be completely filled to ensure proper ratio of blood to anticoagulant. SST or Gold Stopper (serum): No anticoagulant, does contain clot activator and silicon gel for cell/serum separation. Used for Chemistry and Mail Outs. Royal Blue (plasma or serum): Will contain Sodium Heparin or nothing at all. They are "cleaner" than red stoppers and are used for specific drugs and heavy metals. Check carefully to see which type is needed. NOTE: If a heparinized tube needs to be drawn, it should be AFTER the Light Blue Stopper. Green Stopper (plasma): Contains lithium heparin. These tubes are used primarily by Chemistry. Lavender stopper (plasma): Contains K2EDTA as the anticoagulant in either a liquid or powder form. Used primarily for Hematology and Blood Bank procedures and some Chemistry procedures. Gray Stopper (plasma): Contains sodium fluoride/potassium oxalate as the anticoagulant. These tubes are used by Chemistry for glucose testing because the anticoagulant inhibits glycolysis. Yellow Stopper (plasma and cells): Contains ACD anticoagulant solution. Solution A or B is acceptable. Used by Molecular Genetics for DNA testing. Additional notes about the importance of maintaining the correct "order of draw":
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