Which anticoagulant tube allows for both whole blood and plasma testing?

Which anticoagulant tube allows for both whole blood and plasma testing?

• A. Sodium Citrate
• B. SST
• C. EDTA
• D. Sodium Fluoride

Answer: (C)

Anticoagulants that keep blood from clotting long enough to test both whole blood and the plasma portion are the ones that prevent clot formation while preserving the sample’s components. EDTA works by binding calcium, which stops the clotting process. This keeps cells intact for accurate whole-blood testing such as a complete blood count. Because clotting is prevented, you can still separate the liquid portion after centrifugation to obtain plasma for other tests. The other additives have more limited uses: sodium citrate is great for coagulation studies but can affect cell morphology and isn’t ideal for CBC; SST tubes yield serum after clotting rather than plasma; and sodium fluoride is used mainly as a glycolysis inhibitor with oxalate, not as a general anticoagulant for plasma testing. So EDTA tubes uniquely support both whole-blood testing and plasma testing from the same specimen.

Anticoagulants that keep blood from clotting long enough to test both whole blood and the plasma portion are the ones that prevent clot formation while preserving the sample’s components. EDTA works by binding calcium, which stops the clotting process. This keeps cells intact for accurate whole-blood testing such as a complete blood count. Because clotting is prevented, you can still separate the liquid portion after centrifugation to obtain plasma for other tests. The other additives have more limited uses: sodium citrate is great for coagulation studies but can affect cell morphology and isn’t ideal for CBC; SST tubes yield serum after clotting rather than plasma; and sodium fluoride is used mainly as a glycolysis inhibitor with oxalate, not as a general anticoagulant for plasma testing. So EDTA tubes uniquely support both whole-blood testing and plasma testing from the same specimen.