Table II.
Checklist for preanalytical considerations associated with banking of biological fluids (see text for details)
It should be emphasized that the decisions taken on the basis of the checklist depend strongly on the scientific question and the expected assay, and therefore not all the items raised might be applicable in specific situations.
| Phase/purpose | Aspect to consider |
|---|---|
| Collection of samples | Recording of information: bioethics approval for sample acquisition, subject confidentiality protection, laboratory-safe labels |
| Type of sample to collect (serum, plasma, other biofluids) | |
| Individual specifications (race, gender, age, menopausal status/menstrual cycle, fasting, exercise, smoking, alcohol/caffeine consumption, timing (day/year), co-morbidity, medication | |
| Sampling (use of tourniquet, resting time, posture, stress, nurse experience, timing relative to other interventions, e.g. anesthesia) | |
| Collection vessel (blood or biofluid collection vessel with choice of anticoagulants or other additives such as proteinase inhibitor cocktails) | |
| Immediate processing or storage (ice, room temperature, 4 °C) | |
| Transport of samples to the laboratory | Hospital sample transportation system or dedicated transport |
| Confirmation of proper temperature for samples; extra shipment protocol if samples are added from other places than building/hospital with central laboratory | |
| Handling and processing of samples | Immediate processing |
| Gravitational force (g), time, and temperature | |
| Storage of samples | Tubes/vials (suitable for long term storage at low temperature, screw top tubes to avoid desiccation, or sealed straws) |
| Sample types to store (serum/plasma plus pellets) | |
| Aliquots (size and number) | |
| Storage temperature, consistency of temperature, and duration of storage | |
| Safety of system (alarm, backup, etc.?; breakdown of freezer, current) | |
| Storage of information (safety, reliability, retrieval) | |
| Bioinformation | Safety-protected database: protected linkage database for traceable specimens |
| Inclusion of allowable demographic information: age, gender, disease information, other characteristics allowable by approved sample acquisition protocol | |
| Retrieval: documented method of retrieval indicating Ethics Committee approval for use, peer review project for access where indicated |