Specimen Requirements

Patient should be fasting.

Obtain heat-retaining storage block from Special Chemistry prior to drawing specimen. Prewarm 2 plain red top tubes. Patient should be fasting. Draw blood into the pre-warmed plain red top tubes and immediately place the tubes in the warming block. If a warming block is not available an infant heel warmer will work. Forward to lab promptly.  If Special Chemistry is not staffed, place tubes upright in warming block in the 37*C water bath and leave Special Chemistry a note with what time the tubes were put in the water bath. 

A hemolyzed specimen is not acceptable. 

Ocean Pines Family Lab / Ocean Pines Cancer Center

Prewarm 2 plain red top tube in either a infant heel warmer or a warming block. Draw blood into the the prewarmed plain red top tubes and place the tubes into the heel warmer or warming block. Allow the specimens to clot for at least 30 min. at 37° C. Then centrifuge at room temperture for 5 minutes. Separate serum into a transport tube and maintain at room temperture. A hemolyzed specimen is not acceptable.