Vacutainer Tubes - Order of Draw
Proper specimen collection is critical to obtaining valid laboratory results. Specimens must be collected in the appropriate tubes and in the proper order.
Tubes should be drawn in the following order:
|
TUBE
|
|
ADDITIVE
|
red
|
 |
none
|
yellow
|
 |
clot activator / gel for serum separation
|
light blue
|
 |
sodium citrate |
green
|
 |
heparin (lithium or sodium)
|
lavender
|
 |
EDTA
|
gray
|
 |
potassium oxalate/sodium fluoride
|
dark blue
|
 |
metal free
|
|
|