Red Top Tube (Plain Non-Barrier): This tube is used for certain Blood Bank testing which requires a patient’s serum, primarily RPR testing. Chemistries and other drug levels may be drawn in red top tube. The tube contains no anticoagulant.
Table of Contents
What color tube is used for serum chemistry testing?
Serum is usually collected in mottled red/gray, gold, or cherry red-top tubes, and red-top tubes are occasionally used.
What tests go in what color tubes?
- CBC – Lavender. Alkaline Phos – Green, SST, or Plain Red.
- WBC – Lavender. ALT (GPT) – Green, SST, or Plain Red.
- Hgb – Lavender. Amylase – Green, SST, or Plain Red.
- Hct – Lavender.
- Basic Metabolic Panel – Green, SST, or Plain Red.
- Tegretol (CRBAM) – Green, SST, or Plain Red.
- COAGULATION.
- PT & INR – Blue.
What does green top tube test for?
Green top tube with sodium or lithium heparin: used for plasma or whole blood determinations. EDTA tubes: includes Lavender top, Pink top (used for blood bank testing), Tan top (used for lead testing), and Royal Blue top with EDTA (used for trace metal whole blood or plasma determinations).
What is yellow top blood test for?
The yellow blood bottle can be used to test for a wide variety of bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic infections including HIV and viral hepatitis.
What is the purple top tube used for?
The purple top tube provides blood for infectious disease tests and ascertaining important data such as ABO/Rh (blood type), as well as whether the blood is positive or negative for cytomegalovirus (CMV), HIV, hepatitis, and West Nile virus, to name a few.
What tests are done on serum?
Your doctor may test your serum blood levels for sodium, magnesium, cholesterol and other important levels that may indicate changes in your blood profile. Serum blood levels showing increased levels of these markers may spell an increased risk for chronic medical conditions or psychotic episodes.
What are blue top blood tubes used for?
Blue Top – Tube contains Sodium Citrate. Most often used for coagulation studies. Must be drawn prior to collection of serum tubes to prevent contamination with clot activator and interference with coagulation cascade.
What is the black top tube used for in phlebotomy?
An evacuated blood collection tube with a black stopper indicating that it contains sodium citrate as anticoagulant; used for determination of the Westergren erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
What tests are done using the light blue tube?
There is a severe nationwide shortage of light blue sodium citrate blood collection tubes used for coagulation laboratory tests such as prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), fibrinogen, and D-dimer.
What is a pink top blood test?
Pink-top tube (EDTA) This tube contains EDTA as an anticoagulant. These tubes are preferred for blood bank tests. NOTE: After the tube has been filled with blood, immediately invert the tube 8-10 times to mix and ensure adequate anticoagulation of the specimen.
What are the different Colour bottles for blood tests?
There are two types of the green top bottles: Light green: contains lithium heparin additive (anticoagulant) and a gel separator. Dark green: contains sodium heparin additive (anticoagulant)
What is a gray top tube?
A blood collection tube containing powdered sodium fluoride and/or potassium oxalate, which inhibits glycolysis; ‘gray tops’ are used for glucose tolerance testing because glycolysis in the red cells would cause false-low glucose, for measuring lactate—transported on ice—lactate tolerance.
Why are lab tubes different colors?
Each color relates to unique additives that are in the tube. Red: Contain NO anticoagulants, used for serum testing. Serum is fluid that is left behind after the cells are removed due to clotting. Gold: Contains a clot activator and special gel to separate serum from the cells.
Why serum is used for testing?
Serum is used in numerous diagnostic tests as well as blood typing. Measuring the concentration of various molecules can be useful for many applications, such as determining the therapeutic index of a drug candidate in a clinical trial. To obtain serum, a blood sample is allowed to clot (coagulation).
How many types of serum tests are there?
There are different types of serological tests—for example, flocculation tests, neutralization tests, hemagglutinin-inhibition tests, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), and chemiluminescence immunoassays. Among flocculation tests, complement-fixation tests are the most common.
Why is serum used in chemistry?
In general, serum samples (red top tubes) are preferred for chemistry testing. This is because our chemistry reference intervals are based on serum not plasma. In general, there is little difference between serum and plasma, except for certain analytes.
What are test tubes used for in chemistry?
The test tube is one of the most commonly used pieces of laboratory ware. Test tubes are the perfect shape and size to hold small amounts of substances, usually liquid, which are then manipulated in some way, such as being placed over the flame of a Bunsen burner.
What tests are Tiger top tubes used for?
Serum Separator Tube (SST) (Tiger Top): Does not contain an anticoagulant but contains a clot activator and serum separator gel. This tube is used for collecting serum. Light Blue: Contains the anticoagulant sodium citrate. This tube is used for preparing citrated plasma for coagulation studies.
What color tube is used for biochemistry?
Green. This less commonly used bottle is for biochemistry tests which require heparinised plasma or whole blood for analysis.
Which specimen was in the light blue top Why?
On July 22, 2021, the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to Becton Dickinson for certain sodium citrate blood specimen (light blue top) collection tubes used to collect, transport, and store blood samples for coagulation testing to better identify and treat coagulopathy in patients with known or suspected …
What color tube is used for lipid panel?
Red-top tube, gel-barrier tube, or green-top (lithium heparin) tube.
What labs are drawn in a rainbow?
- The practice of collecting extra blood tubes at the time of initial phlebotomy, often referred to as a “rainbow draw” (because of the various colors of tube stoppers) is a common but controversial pro- cedure in many emergency departments (EDs)3.
- This study was approved by the Mayo Clinic In- stitutional Review Board.
What color tube is used for CBC and CMP?
Red-top tube or green-top (lithium heparin) tube is acceptable.
How do you collect a serum sample?
Collection Procedure 1) Collect blood in appropriate serum separator tube. 2) Gently invert the tube 8-10 times, and let tube sit in an upright position for at least 15-30 minutes at room temperature to allow the blood to clot. 3) Label sample with appropriate study code.