Owner manual

Section 5
Specimen Collection and Preparation for Testing
5.1VENOUS BLOOD FOR HEMATOLOGY
Draw venous blood into collection tubes containing
the anticoagulants disodium or tri-potassium
ethylenediamine-tetraacetate (EDTA).
5.1.1 Collection Procedures
•Be sure to wear laboratory gloves. Use only
clean glassware and sterilized collecting
instruments. Before venipuncture, clean the
skin area with an antiseptic agent and wipe dry.
•Draw venous blood with a Vacutainer™
brand blood collection tube* or other blood-
drawing device containing EDTA. To assure an
acceptable blood-to-anticoagulant ratio, fill the
collection tube to at least 2/3 of its fill volume.
Remove the collection needle and dispose
properly in a sharps container.
•Thoroughlymixthebloodwiththeanticoagulant.
If clots are present, discard the specimen.
5.1.2 Anticoagulants
Always anticoagulate venous blood with disodium
or tri-potassium EDTA. The use of other
anti coagulants is not recommended.
5.1.3 Interfering Substances – QBC AccuTubes
•Hemolysis: Do not perform tests on visibly
hemolyzed blood specimens.
•Bilirubin: No effects on testresults have been
observed at biliruben concentrations up to
20 mg/dL.
9
•Triglycerides: No effects on test results have
been observed at triglycerides concentrations
up to 1,800 mg/dL.
9
•Coumadin: Anticoagulant therapy has been
shown to have no clinically significant effect on
performance.
9
•Doxorubicin: Treatment with the anthracyclic
drug Doxorubicin does not appear to interfere
with the QBC test method.
9
•Other drugs: The effects of other potentially
interfering drugs and their metabolites on QBC
tests have not been established.
10,11
Interfering substances information for all other QBC
tube types can be found in Appendix A-1.
WARNING
Blood specimens may contain the Hepatitis B
Virus (HBV), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), Human
Immuno deficiency Virus (HIV), or other disease-
causing agents. Handle all patient specimens
as potential biohazards capable of transmitting
infection. Wear appropriate personal protective
equipment, including gloves, when collecting
and processing blood.
*Product of BD Vacutainer Systems
5-1