Blood Film Slide Preparation
The blood film can be a vital part of clinical testing. When performed, it enables the technologist to view the actual physical appearance of the red and white blood cells microscopically. Well-prepared films can be used in performing the differential white cell count, for examining the morphology of red and white cells to determine the presence of abnormal cells, and also for the examination of the size and number of platelets. The distribution of the cells, as well as their morphology, can be altered by poor slide preparation.
The most appropriate slide consists of a film that is exactly one cell thick for maximum visualization of all cell types microscopically.
Blood films may be prepared from venous blood or capillary puncture blood. Slide preparation using venous blood is described below.
Special Notes On Slide Preparation
1. Slides must not be touched on any area except the long slide edges or frosted ends.
2. Prepare the film immediately, as soon as the drop of blood has been placed on the slide. Any delay will result in abnormal distribution of the white cells, with many of the larger white cells accumulating at the thin edge of the smear. Rouleaux of the red cells and platelet clumping will also occur.
3. Criteria:
- The thin portion should be about 1 inch long, and the entire film should cover approximately half of the area of the entire slide.
- No portion of the film should extend to the edges of the slide.
- The film should be free of waves, holes, and ridges, and it should have a smooth appearance and feathered edge.
- All microscopic slides, as well as paraffin blocks, should be clearly labeled using two patient identifiers.
- The accession designation used in the pathology report should include the case type, year, and a unique accession number.
4. Common causes of a poor blood film.
Figure 15
Nursing Allied Health And Interprofessional Team Interventions
Even though laboratory tube collection is mainly the responsibility of the clinical laboratory and its staff, team interventions in the clinic and hospital settings can still help in the total quality implementation of such laboratory practices. For instance, non-laboratory personnel such as nurses and clinicians should at least become oriented or aware of the order of draw so that when they get to see laboratory staff or phlebotomists at the bedside engaging in improper procedures, they can immediately call attention to it before there is an adverse clinical impact to the patient. Assisting a colleague at work can have a significant effect on patient care.
Moreover, during conferences or department meetings, the laboratory manager can discuss the importance of proper laboratory tube collection with the administration, clinical staff, purchasing department, and human resources. Aside from non-laboratory health personnel, non-clinical personnel must be included in the team to increase the scope of knowledge. While interprofessional teams’ goal is to improve overall patient care, it should be emphasized that helping other colleagues should not be intended to blame a health professional but rather to lift everyone in the team and provide corrective action.
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Blood Sample Collection Tubes Colors Ultimate Guide
Blood sample collection tubes, used in clinical laboratories and hospitals, are among the important tools for starting any analysis or examination.
The Vacuum Tube system for collecting blood used in various laboratory tests consists of tubes of various sizes, with colored caps indicating the contents of the tube. Most blood-collecting tubes contain an additive that either speeds up blood clotting or prevents blood clotting .
and for the different types of laboratory tubes, their uses, and even their sizes, they have been defined globally by reference to distinctive colors that distinguish them from each other, What is the color, what are the primary colors, and what do they indicate?
Blood Sample Collection Tubes With Purple Cap
The Purple blood sample collection tubes contain an anticoagulant called EDTA, which is a short name for ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, as this substance binds to calcium in the blood, preventing it from clotting.
These tubes are also used in comprehensive blood tests, which require the whole blood sample and all of its cells. Examples of tests that require this type are:
- Blood complete CBC test.
- ESR erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
- HbA1C cumulative blood sugar test.
Dealing with this type of test tube requires making sure that the blood is mixed with the anticoagulant, so it must be stirred for 8 minutes to mix well, by turning it frequently.
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Blood Collection Tube With Color Heads
Preparing Slides Using Venous Blood Collected From Venipuncture
Follow the steps outlined below.
1. Put on laboratory personal protective equipment.
2. Select two clean, grease-free glass collection slides with frosted ends .
3. Print the patient’s name and date on the frosted ends of both slides.
Figure 12
4. Handle all slides only by the frosted ends or by the edges.
5. Place the collection slides frosted side up and to your right on a padded, flat surface near the chair or bed where the specimen is to be collected.
6. Immediately after removing the needle from the vein, gently touch the tip of the needle to one of the clean slides, producing a small drop of blood about 1 to 2 mm in diameter, about the size of a match head. The drop of blood should be in the center line, approximately ¼ inch from the frosted end. Repeat for the second collection slide. Activate the needle’s safety feature and dispose of the needle in a sharps container.
7. Hold the left corners of the collection slide with the left thumb and forefinger.
8. Hold the spreader by the frosted end between the right thumb and the index finger.
9. Rest the left end of the spreader at a 45° angle, approximately ½ inch opposite the drop of blood on the slide. This angle prevents the white cells from bunching along the edges.
Figure 13
Figure 14
10. Draw the spreader slide steadily back toward the drop of blood. When the slide contacts the drop, the blood will start to spread to the edges of the spreader slide.
12. Prepare the second film in the same manner.
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Blood Sample Collection Tubes With Grey Cap
It is rarely used, because it is used for only two tests that can be covered by a yellow capped tube, which are blood glucose and lactate test.
This tube contains sodium fluoride As an antiglycolytic agent to ensure that no further breakdown of glucose occurs within the sample, it also contains potassium oxalate acting as an anticoagulant.
Syringe Transfer Technique In Venipuncture
A syringe is usually used with patients who are difficult to collect by routine venipuncture procedure, including techniques using a safety-winged blood collection set . With the syringe technique, venipuncture is accomplished without direct connection to the collection tube. Follow these steps:
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Blood Sample Collection Tubes With Blue Cap
Generally used for haematology tests, contains sodium citrate As a reflective agent for blood clotting, Sodium citrate binds to calcium ions to prevent coagulation so that it is used in blood clotting tests, calculating bleeding time, in addition to important blood coagulation tests such as D-dimer. that the tube shall be filled to the limit, or the line drawn on it As more, or less than that will not be good for examination.
Color Coding Of The Tubes For The Blood Samples:
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Blood culture |
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What Is A Vacutainer Tubes Used For
Vacutainer® Tubes have spray-coated silica and are used for serum determinations in chemistry. Samples processed in these tubes may also be used for routine blood donor screening, immunohematology and diagnostic testing of serum for infectious disease.
What does the color on A Vacutainer tube mean?
Vacutainer tubes are covered with a Color-coded plastic cap that indicates which additives the tube contains. These color indicators help the phlebotomist to easily select the tubes in which the blood should be drawn as per the tests that have to be performed.
What is a Vacutainer used for in a blood test?
Most commonly used to draw the blood samples directly from the vein. These tubes can also be used sometimes for the collection of urine samples. Vacutainer tubes may contain additives, mostly the anticoagulants, designed to stabilize and preserve the blood specimen prior to analytical testing.
Blood Sample Collection Tubes With Dark Green Cap
This less frequently used bottle is intended for biochemistry tests that require heparinized plasma, or whole blood for analysis, and can also contain sodium heparin which works as an anticoagulant, common tests performed with a dark green blood sample collection tubes are as follows:
- Renin, and aldosterone.
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No Clotting Time Required Cbc/plt Count H& h Sed
Blood bottles south tees hospitals nhs foundation trust. Serum, no additive or sodium heparin white top order of the draw to prevent contamination of tubes with additives from other. White k 2edta and gel for plasma separation 8 for use in molecular diagnostic test methods tube inversions ensure mixing of anticoagulant with blood to.
Blood Sample Collection Tubes With Pink Cap
It works with the same purple tube mechanism, but it is used more in blood transfusion analyses of blood samples, as it also contains the anticoagulant substance EDTA, and is used to examine the patients blood group, then compare it with other types to reach the appropriate type for the blood transfusion, or the so-called cross match, As for the method of its use, it is similar to the first type in that, as you need constant stirring to mix with the substance, an anti-coagulant.
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Blood Sample Collection Tubes With Yellow Cap
This type of test tube is used in most analyses and laboratory tests such as Blood chemistry, hormones, and other tests, whereby it is based on the separation of blood serum, through silica particles, and gel, so that the silica particles accelerate blood clotting and coagulation, while the gel separates red blood cells from plasma by floating Between them, then using a centrifuge, the blood serum is separated and will be in the upper yellow layer.
Examples of the tests that can use this tube are the following:
- Biochemistry analyses such as Fats, kidney and liver function tests, thyroid tests, and vitamins such as vitamin B12.
- Endocrine examinations such as Cortisol, and sex hormones.
- Analyses of tumor markers.
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What Are The Different Color Vacutainers Used For Stat Test
Orange or Grey/ Yellow Tiger Top: Orange or Grey/Yellow Tiger top vacutainers are utilized for STAT serum testing. They contain Thrombin, a rapid clot activator. 3. Green: Green top vacutainers contains Sodium Heparin or Lithium Heparin that inactivate thrombin and thromboplastin.
Who makes Vacutainer tubes?
These tubes are the registered trademark of Becton, Dickinson & Co. and today vacutainer tubes are manufactured and sold by them. A Vacutainer blood collection tube is a sterile glass or plastic tube with a closure that is evacuated to create a vacuum inside the tube facilitating the draw of a predetermined volume of liquid.
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Blood Collection / Transport Containers
Following the collection, preparation, and transport instructions suggested by LabCorp supports the best possible test results. Materials for proper specimen collection and transport are supplied by LabCorp. Note: Specimens to be tested by LabCorp should be collected in specimen containers provided by LabCorp.
Anticoagulants and Preservatives. To ensure accurate test results, all tubes containing an anticoagulant or preservative must be allowed to fill completely. Attempts to force more blood into the tube by exerting pressure, as in collection with a syringe, will result in damage to the red cells . If the vacuum tube is not filling properly, and you are certain that you have entered the vein properly, substitute another tube. Occasionally, vacuum tubes lose their vacuum. If the specimen cannot be properly collected, select another site and using new, sterile collection equipment, collect the specimen.
Note: Use plastic transport tubes for all frozen specimens.
Nursing Allied Health And Interprofessional Team Monitoring
Team monitoring is not standard practice because of the departmentalized system in healthcare. On the other hand, interprofessional teams require collaboration among different healthcare professionals and should solely rely upon the clinicians, specialists, and other providers. Nursing, allied health , and non-health can create teams with clinicians and specialists and conduct team monitoring via regular “peer review” so that each member of the team will get to realize the interconnectedness of the work they do in healthcare and its collective impact to patients. The specific steps in conducting a peer review of the interprofessional team, in the case of laboratory tube collection, for example, must be further studied.
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What Blood Tube Colours 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.
What is the order of draw by tube color?
Standard order of draw: BLOOD CULTURES, royal blue, red, light blue, SST , green, tan, yellow, pink, pearl, lavender. If a coag tube is the only tube or the first tube to be drawn, a 5 mL discard tube must be drawn first. or incubation conditions.
What Colour is Vacutainer?
| If a laboratory test requires serum, which vactainer tube is the tube of choice? | Red-topped |
How do you remember tube colors?
This knowledge is what separates a good phlebotomist from an amazing phlebotomist. The best way to always remember tubes is by additives. This way, no matter how many times a hospital may change the color of the tubes, the additives will always remain the same.
What is the Red vacutainer used for?
Red-top tube, plastic This tube is a plastic Vacutainer containing a clot activator but no anticoagulants, preservatives, or separator material. It is used for collection of serum for selected laboratory tests as indicated.
Which vacutainer is used for CBC?
Specimen required: EDTA lavender-top tube or microcollection tube. For EDTA platelet clumping ONLY, draw an additional blue-top tube.
Which vacutainer tubes for what tests?
Blood Collection Tubes