Blood

The sample collection should preferably take place in the morning between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. on a fasting patient, after at least five minutes of rest in a sitting or lying position. Venous stasis should not last longer than one to two minutes, and pumping with the fist should be avoided. After successful puncture, release the tourniquet and apply a steady suction during blood collection.

The sample collection is done in the following order:

• Blood culture (microbiology)
• Serum
• Citrate blood (coagulation)
• EDTA blood (hematology)
• Fluoride blood (glucose)

Afterwards, all tubes are gently inverted.

Serum

Unless otherwise explicitly noted, serum is used for the determinations. Whole blood after collection should be stored upright in the gel monovette at room temperature for 30–60 minutes until complete clotting. Then centrifuge for 10 minutes at 3500–5500 rpm (approx. 2500 x g) with the cap on. Store material cool until shipment.

Whole Blood

Do not use gel monovettes or filter systems for blood group serology. Attach labels with name, first name, and date of birth before blood collection.

EDTA Blood

Immediately after blood collection, gently invert the EDTA-prepared monovette (do not shake). Store the tube at room temperature and send to the laboratory on the same day. Stick the label directly under the cap.

EDTA-prepared Monovette

Gently invert the heparin-prepared monovette after blood collection (do not shake). If no heparin monovette is available, mix 10 ml blood with 0.2–0.3 ml heparin (2500 IU/ml), transfer to shipment tubes and store cool.

Preparation of a Blood Smear

For EDTA blood collection with the request for a "complete blood count," we ask for the preparation of a blood smear, as cells in EDTA blood can change during storage. For malaria diagnosis, always use capillary blood. The smear should be prepared from capillary or EDTA blood within 3 hours.

• Use only clean, grease-free, and undamaged slides.
• Hold the slides at the narrow edges with thumb and middle finger.
• Put a small drop of blood (about the size of a pinhead) on the third near the middle finger.
• Place a cover glass on the slide at an angle of about 45°.
• Evenly lead the cover glass to the blood drop so the blood spreads along the edge.
• Slowly push the cover glass forward to spread the blood into a thin layer.
• The smear should end about 1 cm before the end of the slide. If not, prepare a new smear with less blood.
• Let the blood smear dry in air and label it at the matte edge with a pencil.

Preparation of a Thick Drop

A small drop of blood, preferably capillary blood (less suitable is EDTA- or heparin-treated blood), is spread on a slide using the edge of a second slide by circular movements into a spot of about 1 cm diameter. This mixing of the blood for about 20 to 30 seconds is very important to ensure good adhesion of the blood layer to the slide during staining. However, "thick drops" must not be too thick; if placed on printed material, the print should be clearly readable through the blood layer. After drying (5 to 10 minutes), the preparations are ready for shipment to the laboratory. The preparations must not be fixed under any circumstances! Three to four "thick drops" and normal thin blood smears along with 2 ml EDTA blood should be well-packed and sent promptly.

Plasma

Centrifuge EDTA or heparin whole blood for 10–15 minutes at 3000 rpm. Transfer plasma into shipping tubes, store cool, and specify plasma type.

Urine

Store 20–50 ml of spontaneous or midstream urine cool. For urine sediment or dipstick tests, send samples preferably within 2 hours cooled to the laboratory. Borate preservation is not suitable for dipstick tests.

24-Hour Collection Urine

Collect urine cool and protected from light. Start the collection period in the morning after the first morning urine (discard this). Collect all subsequent portions until the next morning, including the first morning urine. Mix well and send 50 ml specifying the total volume.

Material for Coagulation Tests

• Preferably fill the citrate monovette up to the mark (3.0 ml).
• Specify plasma type when sending plasma samples.
• Observe the expiration date of the citrate monovette.
• Venous stasis maximum 1 minute.
• Gentle venipuncture without multiple attempts.
• Gentle suction without foam or bubble formation.
• Fill citrate monovette completely (1 part anticoagulant, 9 parts blood).
• Do not first draw blood into a syringe and then transfer to the tube.
• Mix immediately after collection, do not shake.
• Do not store whole blood below 0 °C.
• Send material to the laboratory on the same day.

Frozen Material

A cooler box for frozen shipment will be provided.