Why Is Order Of Blood Draw Important?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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The order of draw is recommended for both glass and plastic venous collections tubes when drawing multiple specimens for medical laboratory testing during a single venipuncture. The purpose is

to avoid possible test result error due to additive carryover

. All additive tubes should be filled to their stated volumes.

What happens if you draw blood in the wrong order?

In the era of lyophilized anticoagulants, order of draw is no longer important.

Contamination of serum samples with K EDTA

will occur routinely if order of draw is not followed. During syringe collections, contamination with K EDTA may rarely occur if order of draw is not followed.

Why is it important to draw blood in the correct order?

Order of draw is essential in

avoiding cross contamination from additives of one tube to the next

. Cross contamination, depending on the tests ordered, could cause seriously erroneous results, improper patient treatment and possibly death. While most blood collections (straight venipuncture vs.

What is the purpose of having an order of tubes when drawing blood as a medical assistant you may be drawing blood for testing purposes it's important to recognize potential complications describe one complication that can occur and how you can prevent it what do you do if it happens?

Prevent Cross Contamination

The reason the tubes are assigned this order is

to prevent the cross-contamination of chemicals into other tubes which may cause errors in testing

. This process is called reflux, which means the chemical can move from the tube and enter the needle.

Why is blood culture first in order of draw?

1. Blood Culture Bottles – Used for bacterial and fungal cultures. Must be

drawn first to reduce the potential hazard of bacterial, fungal, quantitative, CMV, and/

or any other specimen contamination.

What is the correct order to draw blood?

  1. First – blood culture bottle or tube (yellow or yellow-black top)
  2. Second – coagulation tube (light blue top). If just a routine coagulation assay is the only test ordered, then a single light blue top tube may be drawn. …
  3. Third – non-additive tube (red top)
  4. Last draw – additive tubes in this order:

What is the correct order of draw tubes only?

The correct order of draw follows:

Blood culture tube or bottle

.

Sodium citrate tube

(eg, blue closure) Serum tubes, including those with clot activator and gels (eg, red, red-speckled, gold closures)

Why does the order of draw matter?

Order of draw is

essential in avoiding cross contamination from additives of one tube to the next

. Cross contamination, depending on the tests ordered, could cause seriously erroneous results, improper patient treatment and possibly death.

What finger is not allowed in capillary collection?


The thumb (1) is

to be avoided because it has a pulse. The index finger (2) tends to be more calloused, which would make collection of the specimen more difficult. This area is also more sensitive for the patient. The pinky finger (5) does not have sufficient tissue depth to prevent injury.

What is the primary cause of failure to obtain blood?


Hemolysis

is the major cause of specimen rejection because it cannot be detected until the blood cells separate from the plasma or serum.

What is the order of draw using evacuated method?

Standard order of draw:

BLOOD CULTURES, royal blue, red, light blue, SST (Gold), green, tan, yellow, pink, pearl, lavender

. If a coag tube (light blue) is the only tube or the first tube to be drawn, a 5 mL discard tube must be drawn first. or incubation conditions. incubation may be required.

What blood tube colors are for which test?

The tests each bottle is used for are the same: the

purple one is for cell count

, the yellow one is for electrolytes, albumin and LDH, the grey one is for glucose, and blood culture bottles can be used for fluid cultures.

Which culture bottle comes first?


The blue (aerobic) blood culture bottle should be filled first

, then the purple (anaerobic) bottle as the butterfly tubing may contain air. Air entering the purple bottle will impede the growth of anaerobic organisms.

What is the best time to collect blood for blood culture?

Blood cultures should always be requested when a bloodstream infection or sepsis is suspected. vBlood cultures should be collected:

as soon as possible after the onset of clinical symptoms

; ideally, prior to the administration of antimicrobial therapy.

What is the most important step in blood collection?


Patient ID, the process of verifying a patient's iden- tity

, is the most important step in specimen collection. Obtaining a specimen from the wrong patient can have serious, even fatal, consequences, especially specimens for type and cross-match prior to blood .

Which are the methods of collection of blood?

  • Arterial Sampling.
  • Venipuncture Sampling.
  • Fingerstick Sampling.
James Park
Author
James Park
Dr. James Park is a medical doctor and health expert with a focus on disease prevention and wellness. He has written several publications on nutrition and fitness, and has been featured in various health magazines. Dr. Park's evidence-based approach to health will help you make informed decisions about your well-being.