Procedures and User Guides : Collection and Transfusion

It is vital to respect the correct order of draw when procuring blood specimens to avoid crosscontamination of anti-coagulants found in the specimen tubes, ensuring that the integrity of the specimen is preserved.

Did you know that the order of draw differs depending on whether you are performing a venous or capillary blood procurement?

Refer to the MUHC sampling manual.

How to retrieve the MUHC sampling manual from their portal:

• Departments 
• Laboratories 
• Laboratory Test Collection  
• MUHC Collection Manual  
• Collection order

Specimen tubes should always be filled to the minimum fill indicator line to ensure proper anticoagulant to blood ratio. Failure to do so can lead to erroneous results.

Example: 

The available 2.7 ml or 1.8 ml sodium citrate tubes must always be filled to the minimum fill indicator line.

Under no circumstances can blood collected in one specimen tube be poured into another. The specimen integrity will be compromised, and the results will be unreliable. For example, transferring the contents of a lavender-capped tube (KEDTA) into a yellow-capped tube leads to a significant increase in potassium.

Barcode labels that are not positioned properly and/or are overhanging past the tube cannot be read by the laboratory automation line. This requires us to retrieve the specimen, reprint a barcode label, and re-label the specimen. This introduces increased risk of errors and increased processing times.

Compliant Labeling of Specimen Tubes
	BD tubes have longer caps than Vacuette tubes. Labels should be placed just below the cap on BD tubes and directly on the factory label for Vacuette tubes.

Non-Compliant Labeling of Specimen Tubes
	Too low Too high  Sideways  Crooked  Upside down

Barcode labels should be printed AT THE TIME OF PROCUREMENT or as close to the procurement as possible. Barcode labels from previous days MUST NEVER be used

• Please verify the date and time printed on the barcode label.
• If the collection time on the barcode label is more than 1 hour prior to the actual procurement time, then the actual procurement time should be handwritten on the barcode label by the person who performed the blood draw.

It is of upmost importance to pay particular attention to the container type indicated on the barcode label and ensure that you are affixing the label to the proper colored tube. The laboratory automation line will not be able to detect these errors before analysis, which will lead to erroneous results.

For example: If a barcode label for chemistry tests is affixed to a lavender tube containing EDTA as an anticoagulant, the chemistry tests performed on the specimen will generate erroneous results with falsely elevated potassium, and falsely decreased calcium and magnesium (due to the effects of the EDTA anticoagulant).

Example of label mix-up: Chem sticker on EDTA lavender tube CBC sticker on SST yellow tube

Should you require further information on any of the points above, please do not hesitate to contact the laboratory at extension 3421.

It is vital to respect the correct order of draw when procuring blood specimens to avoid crosscontamination of anti-coagulants found in the specimen tubes, ensuring that the integrity of the specimen is preserved. Did you know that the order of draw differs depending on whether you are performing a venous or capillary blood procurement?