TABLE 4.
Analytes that require special handling procedures after blood collection.
| Special handling of specimens | Source | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Light sensitive analytes | ||
|
| ||
| Amphotericin B | (55) | Transport specimens wrapped in a foil immediately after collection and store protected from the light until analysis. |
| Bilirubin | (10) | |
| Carotene | (55) | |
| Chlordiazepoxide | (55) | |
| Chlorpromazine | (55) | |
| Isoniazid | (55) | |
| Methotrexate | (56) | |
| Porphobilinogen | (55) | |
| Porphyrins | (10) | |
| Pyridoxal 5-phosphate | (55) | |
| Rifampin | (55) | |
| Thioridazine | (55) | |
| Trifluoperazine | (55) | |
| Vitamin A | (55) | |
| Vitamin B1 | (55) | |
| Vitamin B2 | (55) | |
| Vitamin B3 (niacin) | (55) | |
| Vitamin C | (55) | |
| Vitamin E | (55) | |
| Vitamin K1 | (55) | |
|
| ||
| Specimen Chilling | ||
|
| ||
| Ammonia Lactate | (10) | To chill a specimen, place it immediately in a mixture of ice and water (ice slurry not big ice cubes). Do not put the specimen in direct contact with ice or dry ice to avoid hemolysis. Chilling whole blood specimens for longer than two hours is contraindicated for determination of potassium levels. |
| Pyruvate | (10) | |
| Gastrin | (10) | |
| Homocysteine | (10) | |
| Renin | (29) | |
| Parathyroid hormone | (57) | |
| Catecholamines | (10) | |
| Adrenocorticotropic | (10) | |
| hormone | (57) | |
| Free fatty acid | (57) | |
| Acetone | (57) | |
| ACE | (57) | |
|
| ||
| Specimen Transportation at 37 °C | ||
|
| ||
| Cold agglutinin | (10) | For determination of cold agglutinins, an EDTA tube should be used. For cryofibrinogen and cryoglobulins, use tubes that do not contain any additives, all collection supplies must be pre-warmed, keep the sample at water bath heated at 37°C until serum can be separated from the cells, separate the serum from the cells within 1 hour of collection. |
| Cryofibrinogen | (10) | |
| Cryoglobulins | (10) | |
ACE – angiotensin-converting enzyme. Reference numbers are presented in parenthesis.