Which tube is used for coagulation studies?

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Multiple Choice

Which tube is used for coagulation studies?

Coagulation studies rely on plasma collected with an anticoagulant that keeps blood from clotting while preserving the clotting factors for accurate testing. The citrate-containing light blue top accomplishes this by reversibly binding calcium, preventing clotting until the test is run. It’s essential to use the correct blood-to-anticoagulant ratio (about 9:1) to avoid skewing results like PT and aPTT. Other tubes either remove calcium permanently or produce serum rather than plasma, which isn’t suitable for these tests. Therefore, the tube used for coagulation studies is the citrate (light blue) tube.

Coagulation studies rely on plasma collected with an anticoagulant that keeps blood from clotting while preserving the clotting factors for accurate testing. The citrate-containing light blue top accomplishes this by reversibly binding calcium, preventing clotting until the test is run. It’s essential to use the correct blood-to-anticoagulant ratio (about 9:1) to avoid skewing results like PT and aPTT. Other tubes either remove calcium permanently or produce serum rather than plasma, which isn’t suitable for these tests. Therefore, the tube used for coagulation studies is the citrate (light blue) tube.

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