Evaluation of the quick-clotting serum separator tube, VQ-Tube™, for clinical chemistry and thyroid hormone assays

Abstract

Background: The type of blood collection tube affects specimen quality and laboratory results. Because plasma specimens have a shorter processing time compared to serum specimens, emergency biochemistry tests use plasma. However, serum specimens remain stable after centrifugation and show more accurate results than plasma. Therefore, a quick-clotting serum separator tube (SST) is expected to be useful for shorter turnaround times and accurate results. We evaluated a new quick-clotting SST VQ-Tube<sup>TM</sup> (AB Medical, Korea) for clinical chemistry and thyroid hormone assays. Methods: One hundred volunteers from four university hospitals were recruited and peripheral blood samples were collected in quick-clotting SST VQ-Tubes<sup>TM</sup> and the commonly used SST V-Tubes<sup>TM</sup>. The obtained specimens were used for 16 clinical chemistry assays and three thyroid hormone assays. Results: The differences (%) in the test results obtained from the samples in each tube satisfied the allowable difference ranges (19 assays). The differences in the test results between the tubes satisfied the desired specifications for accuracy except for the glucose results (2.75%). The paired t-test revealed significant differences between the results of six assays but each set of results showed a good correlation. Samples were visually inspected for serum clarity and gel barrier integrity, and incomplete clotting reactions and hemolyzed serum were not observed. Conclusion: The new quick-clotting VQ-Tube<sup>TM</sup> demonstrated reliable test results compared to the commonly used SST V-Tube<sup>TM</sup>. This quick-clotting tube will provide fast test results with adequately separated serum specimens, especially for patients who need fast tests.

Perbandingan Kadar Ureum Dan Kreatinin Antara Sampel Plasma Tabung Lithium Heparine Dan Serum Tabung Clot Activator

“…1 Kelebihan sample serum adalah tetap stabil setelah sentrifugasi dan menunjukkan hasil yang lebih akurat dibandingkan plasma. 3 Alternatif penambahan clot activator diharapkan berguna untuk waktu penyelesaian yang lebih singkat dan hasil yang akurat. 4 Penambahan clot activator mempercepat terjadinya koagulasi ketika darah ditampung pada tabung.…”

“…2 Penggunaan plasma mempunyai keuntungan penting bagi para profesional laboratorium. [1][2][3][5][6][7] Sampel plasma tidak memerlukan waktu tambahan untuk pembekuan darah. Durasi sentrifugasi wholeblood untuk menghasilkan plasma juga yang lebih pendek.…”