Specimen Requirements

Specimen must arrive within 24 hours of draw.

Whole blood

Draw blood in a lavender-top (K2-EDTA) tube. For pediatric specimens, collect 1 full lavender-top (K2-EDTA) BD Microtainer® MAP Microtube. Label the specimen with the patient’s name (first and last), date of birth, date and time of collection and the collector’s initials. Send whole blood refrigerated. 

*Smear preparation on specimens older than 4 hours may exhibit a loss of cellular integrity. 
 

Specimen stability:

24 hours at room temperature

48 hours refrigerated at 2-8°C

Minimum volume:

500 µL

Specimen rejection criteria:

Clotted specimens are not acceptable