In the research paper "The transition from gel separatory serum tubes to lithium heparin gel tubes in the clinical laboratory," what were the main factors considered in evaluating the impact of the transition on laboratory operations, and how were they assessed?
When assessing the effects of switching from gel separatory serum tubes to lithium heparin gel tubes in the clinical laboratory, the research study considered several important variables – Hemolysis rates, analyte stability, turnaround times, and specimen rejection rates. Hemolysis rates were determined by comparing the frequency of hemolyzed samples before and after the transition; a lower rate denoted better sample quality. Analyte stability was assessed by comparing the changes in analyte concentrations over time in samples collected using the new tube type to the previous tube type. Turnaround times were tracked to see if the change had an impact on how efficiently laboratory workflows operated; any notable deviations from standard suggested possible problems. To determine whether the change had any effect on sample acceptability and laboratory performance, specimen rejection rates were also examined. In a study conducted by Wei et. al (2010), Anti-coagulated blood samples such as lithium heparin gel tubes, are ready to be tested once they are obtained from the patients compared to serum blood samples which needed an ample amount of time to clot completely before being centrifuged. Moreover, interferences regarding coagulation can still be ongoing for serum samples even after centrifugation compared to plasma samples, which can avoid these clotting-related problems.
Reference: Wei, Y., Zhang, C., Yang, X., & Ji, M. (2010). The feasibility of using lithium-heparin plasma from a gel separator tube as a substitute for serum in clinical biochemical tests. Laboratory Medicine, 41(4), 215-219. https://doi.org/10.1309/lmixvai70ks0uwqi
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