🩸🧪Different Color Blood Tubes and What They’re For🧪🩸
each color has a different additive, and a different purpose!
a thread for #LabWeek 🧵
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each color has a different additive, and a different purpose!
a thread for #LabWeek 🧵
1/x
Comments
this tube is drawn first because it’s critical fill, meaning it HAS to be filled 1:9 parts additive to blood. in a draw, the more vials you take usually = the less blood you’re getting by the end, so this guy’s drawn first to make sure it gets enough blood.
red tops provide serum when centrifuged. the difference between serum and plasma is that serum’s been allowed to clot before being spun down, and plasma hasn’t. so, unlike plasma, serum’s gonna have none of the clotting factors floating around in it.
gold tubes are SSTs. they’re about the same as a red top, except these have gel at the bottom that, when spun, has a density that makes it rest in between where the red cells and the serum are, separating them.