Tube color |
Anticoagulant |
Common Uses |
Red |
None (Silica particles which |
Typically used when serum is 1. LFT 2. KFT 3. Serum T3, T4, TSH 4. hCG 5. Viral marker (HIV, HCV, |
Light Blue |
Sodium citrate |
Coagulation testing- 1. PT 2. aPTT 3. INR (for monitoring patients 4. D-dimer |
Dark & Light |
Dark green: Sodium heparin Light green: Lithium heparin |
1. Osmotic fragility testing 2. ABG studies |
Lavender |
EDTA |
Typically used when whole 1. CBC 2. Blood smears (for malaria) 3. Reticulocyte count 4. ESR 5. HbA1c |
Grey |
Potassium oxalate + Sodium |
Glucose testing- 1. RBS 2. FBS 3. PPBS 4. GTT Lactate |
LFT - Liver function test
KFT - Kidney function test
PT - Prothrombin time
aPTT - activated partial thromboplastin time
INR - International normalized ratio
EDTA - Ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid
RBS - Random blood sugar
FBS - Fasting blood sugar
PPBS - Post prandial blood sugar
GTT - Glucose tolerance test