Blood Specimen Collection and

Processing

Dr. Jwan Ibrahim Jawzali

22-9-2021
 Blood Sample collection

• Application

• It is used to diagnose disease.

• Monitor disease progress and the disease response to

treatment

• To screen for disease in apparently healthy individuals.

Notes should be consider during blood
collection
1- Type of blood to be used (the choice of whole blood, serum or
plasma very important).
2- Requirement of Disposable syringe ,needle and container,
3- Avoiding haemolysis. When plasma or serum are used The
hemoglobin may interfere chemically in the reaction or the color may
interfere with certain spectrophotometric method.
4- Time of taking blood specimen, the best time for taking of blood is
after an over night fast.
5- Storage, and transportation, may affect the results
•
 Anticoagulants and Preservatives:
a. Heparin: A highly sulfated glycosaminoglycan, inhibits the
formation of thrombin from prothrombin, and is the most
acceptable anticoagulant since it does not produce a change in red
cell volume or interfere with subsequent determinations.

b. EDTA (Ethylene diamine tetracetates) chelae calcium ions. The

most common anticoagulant used in the hematological
examinations. It prevents coagulation by binding with calcium
which is essential to the clotting mechanism.
c. Sodium fluoride: Is a preservative for blood glucose. It prevents
glycolysis (conversion of glucose to lactic acid) by inhibiting the
enzyme system involved in glycolysis
d. Oxalate: This anticoagulant reacts with calcium forming a
precipitate Ca- oxalate
e. Citrate: This anticoagulant converts calcium ion in to non ionized
form.
 Changes in blood during Keeping

• Loss of carbon dioxide from blood cells, causing the blood

more alkaline to avoid this change blood can be collected in a
heparinized syringe and kept cooled in ice

• Conversion of glucose to lactic acid by glycolysis this can be

prevent by adding sodium fluoride in to the blood.
 sources of blood
Blood for analysis may obtain from

Capillary: Capillary bloods is obtained from the finger or thumb. It's

used widely with pediatric patients, in whom analysis must be
performed on the smallest amount of blood possible.

Veins: Is collected from a vein, and is the primary source for clinical
laboratory specimens (Venous blood is most often used in
biochemical testes
Arterial : Most often arterial blood draws are performed by physician
which is usually used for blood gas analysis.
 Venipuncture Procedure:
• Position the patient in a chair, or sitting or lying on a bed.
• Wash your hands. Wash and/or disinfect your hands first
• Avoid collecting blood if local infection or other skin condition (e.g.,
dermatitis, skin lesions) . Cover any small cuts on your hands .
• Select a suitable site for venipuncture:
• Ask the patient to make a fist; Grasp the patient’s arm firmly.
• put on gloves, select the vein by palpation and tourniquet ,
• cleanse the area in a circular motion, beginning at the site and
working outward. Allow the area to air dry
• After the area is cleansed, it should not be touched or palpated again.
For reevaluation the site by palpation, the area needs to be re-
cleansed.
 Cont.
• Place the tourniquet 3 to 4 inches above the
selected puncture site on the patient, not put the
tourniquet on too tightly or leave it on the patient
longer than 1 minute.
• Insert the needle through the skin into the
lumen of the vein.
• The needle should form a 15-30 degree angle
with the arm surface. Avoid excess probing,
massaging, squeezing, the site.
• , Adjust needle position to remain in the center of
the lumen
Cont.
• When the last tube is filling, remove the tourniquet.

• Remove the needle from the patient's arm. Place gauze

immediately on the puncture site. Apply and hold adequate
pressure to avoid formation of a hematoma.

• After holding pressure for 1-2 minutes, tape a fresh piece of

gauze or Band-Aid to the puncture site.

• Dispose of contaminated materials/supplies in designated

containers.
Apply clean dressing to the wound after bleeding has
stopped.
 Hemolysis Prevention
• Mix all tubes with anticoagulant gently (vigorous shaking can
cause hemolysis) 5-10 times.

• Avoid drawing blood from a hematoma; select another draw

site.

• If using a needle and syringe, avoid drawing the plunger back

too forcefully.

• Avoid prolonged tourniquet application (no more than 2

minutes; less than 1 minute is optimal).

• .
 Blood Sample Centrifugation
•Plasma must be separated from contact with cells
as soon as possible, Serum with a maximum time
limit of 2 hours from the time of collection.
Tubes should remain closed at all times during the
centrifugation process. Place the closed tubes in
the centrifuge as a “balanced load” noting the
following :
Opposing tube holders must be identical
If an odd number of samples is to be spun, fill a
tube with water to match the weight of the unpaired
sample and place it across from this sample .
Collection of Urine Sample
 Collection of Urine: In most case urine is an
easier sample for obtain than blood

Purpose of Collecting a Urine Specimen

• To determine kidney function: by measuring ; creatinine clearance test,
Urea, and uric acid, physical properties such as ; pH of the urine, specific
gravity, and abnormal constituent of urine; acetone ,

• , glucose, protein,

• Urine preservative
The most common preservative for urine are (chloroform, glacial acetic
acid, toluene, petroleum ether) which have different roles but are usually
added to reduce bacterial action or chemical decomposition
 Change in urine on keeping

1. Conversion of urea into ammonium carbonate.

2. Precipitate of phosphate in alkaline medium of urine

3. Uric acid and urate are deposited (by heating converted to

soluble form).

4. Rapid oxidation of ascorbic acid.