A Guide to Sodium Fluoride Potassium Oxalate Blood Collection Tubes

Blood collection tubes are used in laboratories to maintain the sample quality and to provide adequate results. Among all these tubes, there is a highly specific type of the sodium fluoride potassium oxalate blood collection tubes, commonly used in tests of glucose and glycolysis inhibitors. The following article aims to describe the tube use, characteristics, utility, and advantages targeting the contributions towards the improvement of lab precision and efficiency of practice by health professionals.

What is Sodium Fluoride Potassium Oxalate Blood Collection Tube?

Sodium fluoride potassium oxalate blood collection tubes also widely referred to as glucose tubes or gray-top tubes are used in conjunction with blood glucose and for glycolysis prevention. As an antiglycolytic agent, these tubes are impregnated with sodium fluoride to inhibit the metabolism of glucose in collected blood samples to maintain accurate results. It also carries potassium oxalate which is an anticoagulant that prevents blood from clotting.

Features and Benefits of Sodium Fluoride Potassium Oxalate Blood Collection Tubes

Let’s dive deeper into the specific features that make these tubes ideal for laboratory use:

Antiglycolytic Agent: Sodium fluoride acts as a powerful inhibitor of glucose metabolism, an essential factor in maintaining accurate levels of glucose content in blood samples.

Anticoagulant Stability: In the presence of potassium oxalate or EDTA, these tubes inhibit clot formation while preserving the sample creating a reliable consistency as it undergoes the tests.

Extended Stability: These tubes can preserve the appearance, coagulation, and cellular formation of the blood for up to 72 hours, which makes the tubes useful for specimens that will take long before testing is done on them.

Versatile Additive Combinations: Depending on the type and nature of the test, laboratories are free to use, and select any of the additive combinations.

High-Quality Material Construction: Both PET or glass-made tubes are rigid, mechanically stable and have a resistance to high-speed centrifugation.

Color-Coded Design: The gray cap is convenient for identifying the tubes and it is easy to organize the samples for the lab technologist.

Why use Sodium Fluoride Potassium Oxalate Tubes?

Sodium fluoride provides a marked inhibition to glycolysis, which breaks glucose in blood samples. This prevention is very important, particularly in cases of G/T and Diabetes monitoring tests whereby accurate levels of blood glucose are required.

Stability and Longevity

Blood samples remain stable for up to 72 hours, allowing delayed testing without compromising accuracy. This long-lasting stability is definitely an advantage in labs that carry large sample loads or have processing times that take longer.

 Minimization of Hemolysis

Sodium heparin, used in some versions of these tubes, prevents hemolysis (the breakdown of red blood cells), which could otherwise skew test results.

Color-Coded Gray Top

These tubes have a grey cap, making them easily identifiable. Labeling in color form lowers confusion in complicated lab situations, and effective organization and time costs are lower.

Significance of Using Quality Blood Collection Tubes in Diagnosis

In general diagnostics, the specificity of results depends mostly on the quality of the sample used. Any change in relation to glucose level after collection can produce misleading results, wrong diagnosis, and dangerous therapy. Sodium fluoride potassium oxalate blood collection tubes have been designed to address these problems by maintaining the sample quality from collection to analysis. Due to the ability to imitate human expert knowledge when diagnosing and managing conditions like diabetes, these tubes are important in clinics.

How do Sodium Fluoride Potassium Oxalate Tubes Increase Laboratory Productivity?

As demonstrated in a laboratory setting it is critical for operations to handle the sample in the most efficient manner. Due to its color measure tubes, these tubes facilitate the simplification of laboratory processes complemented by enhanced stability. Also, the stability of sodium fluoride and potassium oxalate also eliminated the requirement of immediate processing as it provides labs with the free will to handle abundant samples concurrently without the outcomes being affected.

Why Vesemed for Blood Collection Tubes?

Wide Selection

Vesemed has a range of blood collection tubes for all the laboratory departments as can be seen in the following table. Our standard glucose tubes begin with drop-in ready blanks right up to the erythrocyte electrophoresis tubes for CLIA quality.

Quality Assurance

At Vesemed, every tube is tested thoroughly, and all our products meet the healthcare standards required, thus we become a reliable source for healthcare providers.

Highly Effective and Efficient

Following that, our tubes are uniquely labeled and in different colors so as to facilitate the lab technicians in expediting the results.

For more information on our large range of medical and laboratory equipment and products, please visit Vesemed.

Uses of Sodium Fluoride Potassium Oxalate Blood Collection Tubes

Blood Glucose Testing

Used when performing FBS, RBS, and GTT, these tubes assist clinicians in determining blood glucose levels and making the right decision concerning diabetes mellitus patients. The glucose tolerance tests (GTT), these tubes help healthcare providers monitor blood sugar levels accurately and make informed decisions for diabetes management.

Testing for Diabetes and Its Management

 It is used in diabetes DIAGNOSIS and monitoring, the tubes offer stability which makes the blood glucose results obtained depict the health state of the patient at the time of sample collection. Most often, it is measured in critical care to evaluate a tissue’s oxygen and metabolic status together with lactic acid.

Conclusion

Sodium fluoride potassium oxalate blood collection tubes are indispensable for laboratories, particularly for tests requiring stable glucose levels and glycolysis inhibition. By effectively preserving the blood sample, these tubes provide healthcare professionals with reliable data for diagnosing and managing conditions like diabetes. With the desired quality selection of blood collection tubes, labs can trust that their samples will remain consistent and accurate, even in high-demand settings. Visit Vesemed for more details or to request a quote on our selection of sodium fluoride potassium oxalate blood collection tubes.