BD Vacutainer™

Tube Guide
A full line of BD Vacutainer Blood Collection Needles, Needle Holders and Blood Collection Sets is also available.
BD Vacutainer™ BD Vacutainer™ Inversions at
Tubes With Tubes With Blood Your Lab’s
Hemogard™ Closure Conventional Stopper Additive Collection* Laboratory Use Draw Volume/Remarks

• Clot activator and gel 5 BD Vacutainer SST™ Tube for serum

™

for serum separation determinations in chemistry. Tube inversions

ensure mixing of clot activator with blood.
Blood clotting time 30 minutes.
Gold Red/
Black

• Lithium heparin 8 BD Vacutainer™ PST™ Tube for plasma

and gel for plasma determinations in chemistry. Tube inversions
separation prevent clotting.
Light Green/
Green Gray

• None (glass) 0 For serum determinations in chemistry and

• Clot activator (plastic 5 serology. Glass serum tubes are recommended for
tube with Hemogard blood banking. Plastic tubes contain clot activator
Red closure) and are not recommended for blood banking.
Tube inversions ensure mixing of clot activator
with blood and clotting within 60 minutes.

• Thrombin 8 For stat serum determinations in chemistry. Tube

inversions ensure complete clotting which usually
occurs in less than 5 minutes.
Orange Gray/
Yellow

• Sodium heparin 8 For trace-element, toxicology and nutritional-

• Na2EDTA 8 chemistry determinations. Special stopper
Royal • None (serum tube) 0 formulation provides low levels of trace
Blue elements (see package insert).

• Sodium heparin 8 For plasma determinations in chemistry.

• Lithium heparin 8 Tube inversions prevent clotting.

Green

• Potassium oxalate/ 8 For glucose determinations. Oxalate and

sodium fluoride EDTA anticoagulants will give plasma samples.
• Sodium fluoride/Na2 EDTA 8 Sodium fluoride is the antiglycolytic agent.
• Sodium fluoride (serum tube) 8 Tube inversions ensure proper mixing of additive
Gray
and blood.

• Sodium heparin (glass) 8 For lead determinations. This tube is certified to

• K2EDTA (plastic) 8 contain less than .01 µg/mL(ppm) lead. Tube
inversions prevent clotting.
Tan

• Sodium 8 SPS for blood culture specimen collections in

polyanethol sulfonate (SPS) micro-biology. Tube inversions prevent clotting.
• Acid citrate dextrose
Yellow additives (ACD): ACD for use in blood bank studies, HLA
Solution A - 8 phenotyping, DNA and paternity testing.
22.0g/L trisodium citrate,
8.0g/L citric acid,
24.5g/L dextrose
Solution B - 8
13.2g/L trisodium citrate,
4.8g/L citric acid,
14.7g/L dextrose

• Liquid K3EDTA (glass) 8 K3EDTA for whole blood hematology determina-

tions. K2EDTA for whole blood hematology
• Spray-dried K2EDTA 8 determinations and immunohematology testing
(plastic) (ABO grouping, Rh typing, antibody screening).
Lavender Tube inversions prevent clotting.

• Spray-dried K2EDTA 8 For whole blood hematology determinations and

NEW
immunohematology testing (ABO grouping, Rh
typing, antibody screening). Designed with special
Pink
cross-match label for required patient information
by the AABB. Tube inversions prevent clotting.
• .105M sodium citrate(≈3.2%) 3-4 For coagulation determinations. NOTE: Certain
tests may require chilled specimens. Follow your
• .129M sodium citrate(3.8%) 3-4 institution’s recommended procedures for
Light • Citrate, theophylline, 3-4 collection and transport. CTAD for selected
Blue adenosine, dipyridamole platelet function assays and routine coagulation
(CTAD) determination. Tube inversions prevent clotting.
Partial-draw Tubes Small-volume Pediatric Tubes
(2ml and 3 ml: 13 x 75 mm) (2ml: 10.25 x 47 mm, 3ml: 10.25 x 64 mm)

• None 0 For serum determinations in chemistry and serology.

Glass serum tubes are recommended for blood
banking. Plastic tubes contain clot activator and are
not recommended for blood banking. Tube
Red inversions ensure mixing of clot activator with blood
and clotting within 60 minutes.

• Sodium heparin 8 For plasma determinations in chemistry.

• Lithium heparin 8 Tube inversions prevent clotting.

Green

K3EDTA for whole blood hematology determina-

• Liquid K3EDTA (glass) 8 tions. K2EDTA for whole blood hematology
• Spray-dried K2EDTA 8 determinations and immunohematology testing
(plastic) (ABO grouping, Rh typing, antibody screening).
Lavender Tube inversions prevent clotting.
• .105M sodium citrate 3-4 For coagulation determinations. Tube inversions
(≈3.2%) prevent clotting. NOTE: Certain tests may require
Light • .129M sodium citrate chilled specimens. Follow your institution’s
Blue (3.8%) recommended procedures for collection and
transport of specimen.

BD Vacutainer Systems
* Invert gently, do not shake
Preanalytical Solutions BD Technical Services: 800.631.0174
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