Blood Draws

Any place I have ever worked the lab (Quest, LabCorp, etc.) provided a book that listed that information. I found the following website to be quite helpful as well: http://www.labcorp.com/dos/index.html.

Hope this helps!

We have about 150 juveniles on a given day and we do blood draws, on average, about 4 days a week.

LapCorp provided us a reference book which helps us distinguish what tubes go with what tests. Now, we just know it because we draw all the time. Unless it's a really off the wall test, we rarely reference the book.

purple tops go with CBC's, red top tubes do all our drug level checks (i.e... lithium, tegretol, depakote) and the tiger top tubes (with that wax like substance at the bottom) does our CMP's and pretty much everything else. We typed up a list of our most commonly used labs and what tube they go in and taped it to the top of our blood collecting kit.

I have done one in my entire career - a timed blood draw when the lab tech was tied up elsewhere and she asked me to cover it for her.

In the lab tech's office, she has a guide taped on the wall that shows exactly what tubes you need for what tests, in case a nurse has to do a draw.

I work ER and therefore lots of labs are drawn. I'll run over the common ones and what color they are for ya.

Purple = cbc, cbc w/ diff, BNPep

Blue = PT INR/PTT/D-dimer

Yellow/Gold = CMP, BMP, Lipase, Amylase, CK/CKw/MB, serum HCG (preg test), HIV, Liver Panel, Cholesterol, BUN, most tests besides those listed otherwise.

Green = Troponin, Acetone/Ketone, Ammonia (to be placed on ice immediately)

Red = any drug level (BA, Lithium, Dig, etc. etc.)

Black = sed rate

Pink = Type and screen/cross

Grey = Lactic acid (to be drawn without a tourniquet and put on ice immediately)

When in doubt, draw all the colors - you can't go wrong there!