lab top color for vanco trough?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in acute care then Home health.

What color labtops can i use for a vanco trough? can i use a tiger top? I dont have a gold. Thanks:)

Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

The facility I am doing transition in uses green.

Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

My workplace uses red-top vials (no gel) when drawing blood for Vancomycin troughs.

Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

My facility used to use tiger tops and they were replaced with the yellow (or gold as you called it). If you are unsure call the lab where you work. You don't want to put it in the wrong tube and then have the specimin rejected.

1. Sometimes it is written on the request sheet.

2. CALL THE LAB.

Best wishes!

yellow tops here!

Specializes in Med/Surg Tele; LTC; Corrections.

Call the lab.....but we use light green or yellow top.

Specializes in Infectious Disease, Neuro, Research.

FYI, it used to be plain red, as there was some question as to whether the serum separator gel would actually filter out some drug particulates. Facilities do differ (call!), but I suspect that you'll be fine with whatever you're currently using for regular chemistries.

Specializes in Med/Surg.

venous blood (though you draw from the aorta on a corpse), and plain serum (i.e., no anticoagulant).

Specializes in Infectious Disease, Neuro, Research.
venous blood (though you draw from the aorta on a corpse), and plain serum (i.e., no anticoagulant).

?? you mean whole blood vs. serum? serum is the liquid sans cellular material, typically used in chemistry analysis. whole blood would be your anti-coag tubes, for hematology(cbc, pt/ptt, etc..)

you draw whole blood, but because you put it in a tube without coagulant it clots in there and gets to the lab with the serum on the top, ready for them to work on. this is why you do use plain tubes for chemistries, enzymes, drug levels-- anything that says, "serum....." in it (like "serum sodium").

when you put whole blood in a tube with anticoagulant (like purple or blue tops), that keeps it from clotting, so you can do things like look at hgb/hct, and cbc.

+ Add a Comment