Specimen Type/Requirements

Light Green top (Lithium Heparin w/gel) tube - Plasma (preferred)
Gold top (Serum w/gel) tube - Serum

Red top (Serum w/out gel) tube - Serum
Dark Green top (Sodium Heparin w/out gel) tube - Plasma
Grey top (Potassium Oxalate/Sodium Fluoride) tube - Plasma

Note: Sodium Fluoride has a tendency to hemolyze specimens.  Hemolysis will decrease results with an enzymatic method.

Do not cleanse the sample draw site with alcohol or other volatile disinfectants.  Only use aqueous disinfectants.

To minimize exposure to air, centrifuge and transfer to tightly capped aliquot tube within 3 hours of collection.  Cells use up alcohol if left on clot/cells for any length of time.

Test is affected by hemolysis.  Test is not affected by lipemia.