In a follow-up to our June 2021 posts describing blue-closure [3.2% sodium citrate] tube shortage, it appears from several anecdotes that while the industry is slowly catching up to blue-closure tube demands, there remain shortages in green-closure [heparin] and other tubes.
Meanwhile, we alert worldwide facilities to the availability of tubes through online suppliers of uncertain manufacturer provenance. I’ve attached a current article, Gosselin RC, Bowyer A, Favaloro EJ, et al. Guidance on the critical shortage of sodium citrate coagulation tubes for hemostasis testing. J Thromb Haemost. 2021;00:1–5. https://doi.org/10.1111/jth.15514, which describes the necessity for validating tubes that differ from customary suppliers. This issue is further addressed in this CAP Today September 2021 article, In coag collections, every detail counts, by Karen Titus.
[Thanks for responses from Drs. Mayukh Sarkar, Russell Higgins, Marisa Marques, Michael Laposata, and Long Zheng, and especially detailed information and references from Bob Gosselin. I’m continuing to collect anecdotes from colleagues on the issue of shortages and counterfeits, which will be added in the “Comments” section below.
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