Effect of drawing a discard tube on PT and APTT results in healthy adults.

Abstract

Relative to sampling from a population of healthy adults, drawing a discard tube before a sodium citrate tube for coagulation testing appears to make an insignificant difference. Replication of these results with patients receiving anticoagulant therapy and/or patients with abnormal coagulation results, would offer cost savings by justifying elimination of discard tubes for blood draws for coagulation testing only. Such a change in protocol would also reduce the likelihood of nosocomial blood loss in vulnerable patient populations.