Pathology

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Collection & Request Instructions

PLEASE NOTE : One EDTA (purple top) and one Plain serum (red top) tube MUST BE COLLECTED.  All samples must be kept at 37^oC in a thermos flask and delivered to the laboratory immediatley.  Both tubes are required for Cryoprotein analysis.

Heated specimen tubes in thermos flask can be obtained from the laboratory.

Collection: Monday to Friday (public holidays excluded) during the following times only:

Box Hill:  4am-4pm

Maroondah and Angliss: 4am-1:30pm

The test must be collected using a "cryoglobulin collection kit at 37°C", which is obtained from the laboratory. The kit contains pre-warmed 9 mL serum no-gel tube and 4 mL EDTA tube. 

The flask must be tightly closed at all times except for when removing and returning tubes. Do not remove the gel pack from the flask. Immediately post collection, the tubes are inserted into the insulating “socks”, returned to the warm flask (37°C), and transported back to the laboratory. The specimens MUST be correctly labelled. The flask must be returned to the specimen reception/laboratory within 60 minutes of obtaining it.

Processing Instructions

Keep the sample in the incubator for 1 hour. Spin and separate serum and plasma into marked aliquot tubes and send at RT.

Return the samples to the 37°C incubator immediately.

Maroondah and Angliss: DO NOT centrifuge samples. Transfer tubes to a pre-warmed flask and send with the courier to Box Hill (remove from the incubator only when the courier arrives).

Box Hill: Inform the proteins lab scientist of the sample. They will centrifuge and aliquot.

Further instructions see WORK-CHEM-29