Reference

Otto, E (n,d) “ Venipuncture Methods “

https://www.livestrong.com/article/203361-venipuncture-methods/

http://www.phlebotomycertify.com/venipuncture/venipuncture-procedure/

https://sciencediscoveries.degruyter.com/order-blood-draw-importance-blood-sample-collection/

Phlebotomy Training and Job Qualification (May 20,2012)

http://www.phlebotomytrainingedu.com/tag/what-is-the-importance-of-order-of-draw/

http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/44294/9789241599221_eng.pdf;jsessionid=05F197
CDF0D2541FF5EF86F6D6FDD8EC?sequence=1
http://www.calgarylabservices.com/files/HealthcareProfessionals/Specimen_Collection/FactorsAffec
tingResults.pdf

Where Do You Start?

Whether you’re collecting your samples in-house or through a clinic, hospital
or pathology center, you’ll need to have a good idea of what kind of blood
collection tubes suit your purposes. The first thing to check is your protocol –
for example, some ELISAs will specify the types of samples you can and can’t
use.
But what if your protocol doesn’t specify, or you’re adapting a method from
another system, or you just want to make sure you’re storing the best type of
sample for future not-yet-defined analyses? Hopefully I can help you start to
find your way around all those differently-colored tubes.
(A quick note about those cap colors before we begin: I’ve listed them below,
and the color-coding system is generally pretty consistent, but I can’t promise
the colors are the same in every company producing blood collection tubes.)

Serum Tubes
Probably the first thing to figure out is whether you are after serum, or whether
you’ll need to stop the blood from clotting. Don’t get serum confused with
plasma – while they’re both the liquid, cell-free part of the blood which can be
obtained by centrifugation, the key difference is that serum is the product of
blood which has been allowed to clot, while in a plasma sample, the dense
cells are simply spun to the bottom.
So serum is, in simple terms, what remains in the blood after it clots: a cell-
free liquid that is also depleted of coagulation factors. It can be a good, stable
way of measuring the blood’s proteins, lipids, hormones, electrolytes and so
on. Many of these markers can be stored for days in the fridge, or frozen
down and measured in batches later.

 Serum (clot activator) tubes (color dependent on brand; BD is

commonly gold but also red, Greiner is red). These tubes have silica
particles, which activate clotting. Some also have a gel to separate the
serum. Those without the separating gel are potentially more useful in
sensitive diagnostic testing. If you’re looking for a protein that isn’t
involved in coagulation, this is a good place to start.
  Thrombin-based clot activator tubes (orange). Although the silica-coated
tubes clot within about 30 minutes, the orange tubes clot within 5.
They’re mainly used clinically for tests that are needed especially
quickly. However, some of the serum components are a little less stable
in these tubes.

Anticoagulant Tubes
This is the category to consider if you need cells or plasma (cell-free liquid
which still contains coagulation factors).

EDTA (Purple)
EDTA prevents clotting by chelating calcium, an essential component of
coagulation. This is your basic hematology tube (by which I mean identifying
and counting blood cells, blood typing etc). Plasma stored from EDTA blood
can also be used to measure most proteins, and genetic material can easily
be stored from EDTA buffy coats (the interface between the red cells and the
plasma after centrifugation, containing white cells and platelets). Note: these
tubes contain either K2EDTA or K3EDTA.

Sodium Citrate (Light Blue)

For coagulation and platelet function tests. Like EDTA, citrate acts by
removing calcium from blood. Unlike EDTA, it’s reversible – so calcium can be
added back to study coagulation under controlled conditions. Citrated plasma
is also used to measure coagulation-relevant factors. It’s worth noting that a
citrate tube should not be the first type of tube filled after venepuncture – the
first few mL of blood drawn will be a bit activated. If you only need citrate for
your project, then you should collect a discard tube first. Also note that
different concentrations of citrate are available from different companies.

CTAD (Also Light Blue)

CTAD stands for citrate, theophylline, adenosine and dipyridamole. These
aren’t very commonly used, but are worth knowing about – they prevent ex
vivo activation of your platelets, making them useful for some more sensitive
platelet function and coagulation studies. Note that CTAD is light-sensitive, so
keep these guys in the dark.
Lithium/Sodium Heparin (Green)
Similar in use to serum clot activator tubes, but suitable for tests in plasma
rather than serum. Like the serum tubes, heparin tubes can also come with a
separating gel. Heparin acts by inhibiting thrombin formation. Note: if your
endgame is PCR, you should know that heparin is particularly known to
interfere with PCR reactions. However, whichever anticoagulant you choose,
you may need to allow for it in your reaction mix.

Sodium Fluoride (Color Dependent on Brand; BD is Grey,

Greiner is Black)
Sodium fluoride is an antiglycolytic agent, so these tubes are used for glucose
and lactate testing. They also contain an anticoagulant (there are different
types available).

Acid Citrate dDextrose – ACD (Yellow)

These ones are not common, but they are used for blood and tissue typing
and DNA analysis.

Sodium Polyanethol Sulfonate -SPS (Also Yellow)

SPS stabilizes bacterial growth. Useful for microbiology.
For specific purposes, there are more blood collection tubes out there, but
hopefully this has given you a handle on where to start. Good luck, and
welcome to the world of – let’s be honest – feeling just a little bit like a
vampire.

https://bitesizebio.com/23701/choosing-the-right-blood-collection-tubes/

by Reddel, C Choosing The Right Blood Collection Tubes