Order of Draw

When collecting multiple specimens, the order in which tubes are drawn can affect some test results. Avoid transferring anticoagulants among tubes by contamination of the stopper-puncturing needle. Below is a list of correct order of draw by Vacutainer or syringe method.

  1. Tubes for sterile specimens (Blood Cultures)

  2. Light Blue Top – Sodium Citrate (Coagulation)

  3. Gold Top – Serum Separator (Routine Chemistry)

  4. Red Top – Serum; No Additives (Therapeutic Drug Testing)

  5. Light Green Top – Lithium Heparin/Dark Green –Sodium Heparin (Plasma for Routine Chemistry)

  6. Lavender Top – EDTA (Hematology/Blood Bank)