One 5 mL light blue (sodium citrate) top tube. Also acceptable: serum

1 mL platelet-poor plasma ambient (Min: 0.5 mL)

* Collection Instructions *

Platelet-poor plasma

• Centrifuge light blue-top tube 15 minutes at approximately 1500 x g within 60 minutes of collection.
• Using a plastic pipette, remove plasma, taking care to avoid the WBC/platelet buffy layer and place place in a plastic vial.
• Centrifuge a second time and transfer platelet-poor plasma into a new plastic vial.
• Plasma must be free of platelets (<10,000/mcL).

Serum

• Completely fill the Vacutainer and allow the blood to clot in an upright position for at least 30 minutes, but no longer than 1 hour before centrifuation.
• Transfer the serum to a plastic transport tube.

Ambient: 7 days

Refrigerated: 30 days

Frozen: 30 days

• Gross hemolysis
• Grossly lipemic