The majority of our tests may be performed on a 5 -10mL sample of clotted blood (plain tube/Vacutainer red top tube).

The exceptions are:-

Functional Complement Studies (CH50 or Functional C1 Inhibitor)

Please ensure a clotted sample reaches our laboratory within one hour of venepuncture. If this cannot happen, arrange for the sample to be separated at an interim site and subsequently transported frozen to our laboratory. Failure to comply may result in spuriously low results.

C3 Degradation Products (C3d)

EDTA-containing plasma tube required. The EDTA prevents further complement degradation, which causes falsely raised levels of C3d.

Cryoproteins (Cryoglobulins and Cryofibrinogen)

These proteins precipitate on cooling and may be lost from serum if a sample is allowed to cool to anything below body temperature even for a short period. To avoid false negative results, all samples should be drawn using a pre-warmed syringe and placed in pre-warmed Plain and EDTA-containing tubes and transported in a flask at 37 degrees centigrade. Once clotted and separated, the samples may be handled as any other.