Specimen Collection Manual and Test Catalog

18 mL (6 x 3 mL tubes) whole blood aliquot for a single study.

• Test must be scheduled prior to collection at GMC (Danville, PA). Call the Hematology/Coagulation Laboratory at 570-271-6323 to schedule.
• Patient’s platelet count should be >50,000/mm3 prior to testing. Patient should not be receiving aspirin containing medications, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or cardiovascular medications such as dipyridamole within two (2) weeks prior to testing.
• If the patient’s hematocrit (HCT) is >55%, the volume of anticoagulant in the tube must be adjusted. Contact a performing location for sodium citrate adjusted tubes.
• Avoid prolonged tourniquet time (< 1 minute) and hemolysis during collection as this will alter results.
• Blood may be drawn from an indwelling catheter or vascular access device. Draw sample from a lumen that has not been heparinized or flush the line with 5 mL of saline and discard first 10 mL of blood.
• Tubes should be >90% filled.
• Immediately mix gently after collection by inverting the tube end over end 5 to 10 times. Avoid vigorous mixing or additional inversion. Observe for the presence of clots or hemolysis and recollect if observed.

Hand-deliver to the Coagulation Laboratory. Do not ship specimen through the pneumatic tube system. Do not centrifuge, refrigerate or freeze specimen. Processing is to be done by GMC Laboratory personnel.

Room temperature.

Room temperature: 4 hours.

Clotted, severely hemolyzed/lipemic/icteric, improperly filled tubes, improper anticoagulant ratio (HCT >55% and citrate not adjusted), refrigerated/frozen specimens, stability exceeded, or platelet count <50,000/mm3.

Platelet Aggregation of 4 agonists, two dilutions each: ADP, Epinephrine, Collagen and Ristocetin. Pathologist interpretation provided.

Platelet aggregation study

Platelet Aggregation testing is performed to identify if platelet dysfunction is due to an intrinsic platelet defect, congenital platelet defects, von Willebrand Disease, or exposure to platelet inhibiting agents.  Pathologist interpretation provided.