Two types of plastic are commonly used to make plastic blood collection tubes, polypropylene, and PET. The single-stage, closed system tube for blood collection, mononuclear cell separation, and transportation provides convenience, safety, and reproducibility, which can contribute to increased laboratory productivity. According to the manufacturer of the pipes used in the present study, PET is virtually unbreakable and capable of maintaining a vacuum. Table 3 shows the results of the present study compared with the results of 2 other studies which examined the effect of glass compared to plastic blood collection tubes on coagulation tests.
Liquids in PET tubes tend to evaporate. On the other hand, polypropylene maintains a better liquid barrier than PET, which preserves the liquid citrate and maintains the appropriate citrate concentration in the sample.
Are blood tubes made of glass or plastic?
Blood from healthy test subjects was collected simultaneously in glass and plastic tubes, or serums made from blood collected in glass tubes were placed in the examined plastic tubes. To transport swab samples or tissue, remove the cap, place the sample in the tube (break off the swab handle if necessary) and replace the cap and pull Blood-Draw Tubes BD Vacutainer Plus plastic tubes consist of an outer layer of shatterproof polyethylene terephthalate (PET) -Plastic and an inner layer of polypropylene plastic. Before collecting the patient, please contact the laboratory to obtain the correct tubes for metal analysis or other tests as specified in the individual test lists.
Are blood tubes made of glass?
The only difference between results from glass and plastic tubes, which was both statistically and clinically (according to the authors) significant, was an increase in the mean thrombin time in plastic tubes in the study by Flanders et al. Bland-Altman plots for coagulation tests to diagnose bleeding diathesis for paired samples drawn into the glass and plastic tubes. Since the coagulation cascade can be activated by contact with blood with glass surfaces, these tubes are siliconized to prevent glass-induced coagulation activation. Do not use gel barrier tubes to submit samples for therapeutic drug monitoring, direct Coombs, blood type, and blood groups.
