940WestValleyRoadSuite1400Wayne,PA19087USAPHONE610.688.0100FAX610.688.0700E-MAIL:customerservice@clsi.orgWEBSITE:(FormerlyNCCLS)H21-A5Vol.28No.5ReplacesH21-A4Vol.23No.35Collection,Transport,andProcessingofBloodSpecimensforTestingPlasma-BasedCoagulationAssaysandMolecularHemostasisAssays;ApprovedGuideline—FifthEditionThisdocumentprovidesproceduresforcollecting,transporting,andstoringblood;processingbloodspecimens;storingplasmaforcoagulationtesting;andgeneralrecommendationsforperformingthetests.AguidelineforglobalapplicationdevelopedthroughtheClinicalandLaboratoryStandardsInstituteconsensusprocess.(FormerlyNCCLS)LA4-A5Vol.27No.20ReplacesLA4-A4Vol.23No.21BloodCollectiononFilterPaperforNewbornScreeningPrograms;ApprovedStandard—FifthEditionThisdocumentaddressestheissuesassociatedwithspecimencollection,thefilterpapercollectiondevice,andtheapplicationofbloodtofilterpaper,andprovidesuniformtechniquesforcollectingthebestpossiblespecimenforuseinnewbornscreeningprograms.AstandardforglobalapplicationdevelopedthroughtheClinicalandLaboratoryStandardsInstituteconsensusprocess.(FormerlyNCCLS)940WestValleyRoadSuite1400Wayne,PA19087USAPHONE610.688.0100FAX610.688.0700E-MAIL:customerservice@clsi.orgWEBSITE:(FormerlyNCCLS)ClinicalandLaboratoryStandardsInstitute®ClinicalandLaboratoryStandardsInstitute®LA4-A5Vol.27No.20ReplacesLA4-A4Vol.23No.21BloodCollectiononFilterPaperforNewbornScreeningPrograms;ApprovedStandard—FifthEditionThisdocumentaddressestheissuesassociatedwithspecimencollection,thefilterpapercollectiondevice,andtheapplicationofbloodtofilterpaper,andprovidesuniformtechniquesforcollectingthebestpossiblespecimenforuseinnewbornscreeningprograms.AstandardforglobalapplicationdevelopedthroughtheClinicalandLaboratoryStandardsInstituteconsensusprocess.(FormerlyNCCLS)940WestValleyRoadSuite1400Wayne,PA19087USAPHONE610.688.0100FAX610.688.0700E-MAIL:customerservice@clsi.orgWEBSITE:(FormerlyNCCLS)ClinicalandLaboratoryStandardsInstitute®ClinicalandLaboratoryStandardsInstitute®H21-A5ISBN1-56238-657-3Volume28Number5ISSN0273-3099Collection,Transport,andProcessingofBloodSpecimensforTestingPlasma-BasedCoagulationAssaysandMolecularHemostasisAssays;ApprovedGuideline—FifthEditionDorothyM.Adcock,MDDanielM.Hoefner,MT,PhDKandiceKottke-Marchant,MD,PhDRichardA.Marlar,PhDDianeI.Szamosi,MA,MT(ASCP),SH(ASCP)DavidJ.Warunek,PhD,MBAAbstractClinicalandLaboratoryStandardsInstituteH21-A5—Collection,Transport,andProcessingofBloodSpecimensforTestingPlasma-BasedCoagulationAssaysandMolecularHemostasisAssays;ApprovedGuideline—FifthEditionisanupdateofthepreviouseditionpublishedin2003.Theguidelineprovidesproceduresforthecollection,transport,andprocessingofbloodspecimensforplasma-basedandmolecularcoagulationtesting.Testsofthecoagulationsystemareverysensitivetostorage(timeandtemperature),concentrationofanticoagulant,andsurfaceofcontainers;attentiontotheseparametersisimportant.H21-A5isprimarilydirectedtowardlaboratoryand/orclinicalpersonnelresponsibleforobtainingpatientspecimensandpreparingsamplesforplasma-basedormolecularcoagulationtesting.ClinicalandLaboratoryStandardsInstitute(CLSI).Collection,Transport,andProcessingofBloodSpecimensforTestingPlasma-BasedCoagulationAssaysandMolecularHemostasisAssays;ApprovedGuideline—FifthEdition.CLSIdocumentH21-A5(ISBN1-56238-657-3).ClinicalandLaboratoryStandardsInstitute,940WestValleyRoad,Suite1400,Wayne,Pennsylvania19087-1898USA,2008.(FormerlyNCCLS)TheClinicalandLaboratoryStandardsInstituteconsensusprocess,whichisthemechanismformovingadocumentthroughtwoormorelevelsofreviewbythehealthcarecommunity,isanongoingprocess.Usersshouldexpectrevisededitionsofanygivendocument.Becauserapidchangesintechnologymayaffecttheprocedures,methods,andprotocolsinastandardorguideline,usersshouldreplaceoutdatededitionswiththecurrenteditionsofCLSI/NCCLSdocuments.CurrenteditionsarelistedintheCLSIcatalogandpostedonourwebsiteat:Telephone:610.688.0100;Fax:610.688.0700;E-Mail:customerservice@clsi.org;Website: CommitteeMembership........................................................................................................................iii Foreword..............................................................................................................................................vii 1 Scope..........................................................................................................................................1 2 Introduction................................................................................................................................1 3 StandardPrecautions.........................................................................