Specimen Requirements

Submit only 1 of the following specimens:

Riverside Inpatients and Riverside Campus draw sites:

Testing must be performed within 4 hours of draw if submitting unprocessed whole blood.

Draw a full, light blue-top (citrate) tube; and send citrated whole blood. Invert several times to mix blood. Forward unprocessed whole blood promptly at ambient temperature only. Do not refrigerate.

Note:  1. Indicate whole blood on request form.

2. Label specimen appropriately (whole blood).

Outpatients/Outreach Clients:

Plasma-Frozen

Draw a full, light blue-top (citrate) tube. Spin down, remove plasma, spin plasma again, and place 1 mL of citrated platelet-poor plasma in plastic vial. (Glass vial is not acceptable.) Pour-off vial should be no more than 2/3 full. Send specimen frozen.

Note:  1. Double-centrifuged specimen is critical for accurate results as platelet contamination may cause spurious results.

2. Indicate plasma on request form.

3. Label specimen appropriately (plasma).