From our frequent contributor, Kim Kinney at Indiana University Health Pathology Laboratory: Merry Christmas all! George, this may be an old topic, but I am getting some push back from our off-site coordinators. Coagulation samples sent on ice: I have always thought that the current literature stated that iced coag tubes could activate factor VII and potentially shorten the prothrombin time (PT). Is there current literature out there surrounding this topic? Any information would be helpful!
Hi, Kim, Merry Christmas to you, and happy holidays to all the folks at IU Health and all our participants. In medicine, it seems like old habits die hard, even when it they are contraindicated. I like to think that this is because we are all trying our hardest to get it right. The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute provides the most authoritative statement in their H21-A5 Guideline, Collection, Transport, and Processing of Blood Specimens for Testing Plasma-Based Coagulation Assays and Molecular Hemostasis Assays; Approved Guideline–Fifth Edition 2007. They require transport at ambient temperature and write, “Transportation of whole blood specimens on ice is not recommended for most plasma-based coagulation assays because of possible cold activation of factor VII, loss of von Willebrand factor, and platelet disruption.” Their reference is van Geest-Daalderop JH, Mulder AB, Boonman-de Winter LJ, et al . Preanalytical variables and off-site blood collection: influences on the results of the prothrombin time/international normalized ratio test and implications for monitoring of oral anticoagulant therapy. Clin Chem 2005; 51: 561-8. My favorite reference on specimen management is Adcock-Funk DM, Lippi G, Favaloro EJ. Quality standards for sample processing, transportation, and storage in hemostasis testing. Semin Thrombos Hemostas 2012; 38: 576–85. I hope the guideline and references help convince your coordinators. Geo.
I remember back in the day when I was training for my career
I remember back in the day when I was training for my career as a medical technologist, we had a whole quarter (it was quarters, not semesters back then) of phlebotomy training. The first thing we did in the early morning was get a Dixie cup full of ice chips to transport our blue tops we collected. Even the high tech analyzer we used had a refrigerated storage area for the tubes. I guess some of those coag factors “mutated!”
also
Bohm M et al. Cold storage of citrated whole blood ind
also
Bohm M et al. Cold storage of citrated whole blood induces drastic time-dependent losses in factor VIII and von Willebrand factor: potential for misdiagnosis of haemophilia and von Willebrand disease. Blood Coagulation and Fibrinolysis 2006, 17:3945 is available
http://www.mvz-labor-duisburg.de/assets/files/Service/Publikationen/2006/Boehm_et_al_2006.pdf
The fulltext article similar to the last reference is availa
The fulltext article similar to the last reference is available on the medscape:
Pre-analytical Variables in Coagulation Testing Associated With Diagnostic Errors in Hemostasis
Emmanuel J. Favaloro, PhD, MAIMS, FFSc (RCPA), Dorothy M. (Adcock) Funk, MD, Giuseppe Lippi, MD
Lab Med. 2012;43(2):1-10.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/758469_1