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Tube Drawing Order

Tube Drawing Order

LifeBridge Health - Department of Pathology

Tube Drawing Order

Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI)

Recommended Order of Tube Draw

Glass and Plastic Blood Collection Tubes

1) Blood Culture Tubes
 
2) Coagulation tube (e.g., blue closure) *

* If a blue top tube is the first tube to be drawn, and is used in conjunction with a butterfly needle collection set, the tubing's "dead space" must be cleared with the use of a no-additive discard tube or syringe before attaching the blue top tube. Failure to clear air from the line may result in a "short draw" in the blue top tube.
 
3) Serum tube with or without clot activator, with or without gel (e.g., red closure)
 
4) Heparin tube with or without gel plasma separator (e.g., green closure)
 
5) EDTA (e.g., lavender or pink closure)
 
6) Glycolytic inhibitor (e.g., gray closure)
 

Document # H3-A5 Vol.23, No.32

BD Tube Chart