Phlebotomy Collection Tube Colors

Front 1

Red Top

Back 1

Additive: None

Mode of Action: Blood clots, and the serum is seperated by centrifugation

Test: Serum Chemistries, Immunology and Serology, Blood Bank (crossmatch)

Front 2

Gold Top

Back 2

Additive: Thixotropic gel separator or clot activator

Mode of Action: Serum separator tube (SST) contains a gel at the bottom to separate blod from serum on centrifugation

Test: Most Chemistries testing, Immunology and Serology

Front 3

Light Green Top

Back 3

Additive: Plasma Separating Tube (PST) with Lithium Heparin

Mode of Action: Anticoagulates with lithium heparin; lasma is separated with PST get at the bottom of the tube.

Test: Stat potassium

Front 4

Lavender

Back 4

Additive: EDTA

Mode of Action: Forms calcium salts to remove calcium

Test: Hematology (CBC) and Blood Bank (Crossmatch); requires FULL DRAW-invert 8 times to prevent clotting and platelet clumping.

Front 5

Light Blue Top

Back 5

Additive: Sodium Citrate .105M or .129M

Mode of action: Forms calcium salts to remove calcium

Test: Coagulation tests (protime and prothrombin time), FULL DRAW required.

Front 6

Green Top

Back 6

Additive: Sodium heparin, lithium heparin or Ammonium heparin

Mode of Action: Inactivates thrombin and thromboplastin

Test: For lithium level, use sodium heparin. For ammonia level, use sodium or lithium heparin. Plasma Chemistries

Front 7

Royal Blue

Back 7

Additive: Sodium Heparin, EDTA or none

Mode of Action: Tube is designed to contain no contaminating metals.

Test: Toxicology, trace metals, nutritional analysis

Front 8

Gray Top

Back 8

Additive: Sodium fluoride( preserves 3days) and potassium oxalate or heparin, Iodoacetate( preserves 24hours)

Mode of Action: Antiglycolytic agent preserves glucose up to 3 days

Test: Lactic acid measurement, glucose tolerance test, fasting blood sugar(FBS), blood alcohol levels.

Front 9

Yellow Top(Non sterile)

Back 9

Additive: ACD (acid-citrate-dextrose)

Mode of action: Complement inactivation.

Test: HLA tissue typing, paternity testing, DNA studies

Front 10

Yellow Top(Sterile)

Back 10

Additive: SPS(sodium polyethanol sulfonate)

Mode of action: Preserves viability of microorganisms.

Test: Microbiology-aerobes, aneaerobes, fungi

Front 11

Black Top

Back 11

Additive: Sodium citrate (buffered)

Mode of action: Forms calcium salts to remove calcium

Test: Sedimentation rate

Front 12

Orange Top

Back 12

Additive: Thrombin

Mode of Action: Quickly clots blood

Test: STAT serum chemistries

Front 13

Tan Top

Back 13

Additive Sodium heparin

Mode of Action: Inactivates thrombin and thromboplastin; Contains virtually no lead.

Test: Serum Lead determination

Front 14

Pink Top

Back 14

Additive: Potassium EDTA(K2 EDTA)

Mode of Action: Forms calcium salts

Test: Molecular/viral load testing

Front 15

Collection tube top colors-How many are there?

Back 15

14

Front 16

Red Top(Plastic tube)

Back 16

Additives: Clot activators

Mode of action: serum

Test: Chemistry and serology