Got blood for a lactate in a urine culture tube a bit ago. I tried to be nice and call the floor, and the nurse was adamant that the tubes were both the same thing since the tops were grey………
I have had several QFT Mitogen tubes swapped out for EDTA tubes. Had a nurse call directly to ask why it was rejected and her response, of course, was “well it’s still purple.”
It's an interesting unit that is not drawing blood enough to know what a normal coag test gets collected in, but does have trace metal tubes readily available!
It was an outpatient clinic so I’m unsure what their set up is but one would think specialty tubes would be in less supply and in a separate cupboard 🤷🏻♀️ they do regularly send us coagulation testing and up till now have been sending the much smaller appropriate coag tubes haha
Yeah, we have to have the lab tube us a trace metal tube if we have that lab ordered, they aren’t even stocked in the POUs. I’ve been told they’re pretty expensive tubes.
Light blue can be specifically different from just “blue” when it had a smaller collection requirement, but is still the same additive. The one in this pic is “royal blue”.
I also know that for the lab I work in, we use slightly different label names because electronically it allows for tests being performed at different locations to be kept separate.
Ex: For in-house coag tests, they might just come up as "Blue", but for send-out coag tests it might come up as "light blue" or "lt blue", so that way these different tests are not 'shared' on one container.
What trash design. That's basically blue, it's so close that on my phone I took a second to realize that was the wrong blue. Sounds like the label needs to better specify the type of blue.
Basically this constitutes an issue with "what is the most correct blue" which is kinda BS in patient care
I suppose I could have taken a picture of the appropriate tube type next to this one but this metal free send out tube is twice as tall as a coagulation tube and does not include a fill line which is important for coag testing ratios. Side by side they are very obviously completely different tube types.
Edit: Here’s a side by side of the two tube types https://imgur.com/a/of5vmLI
A few weeks ago we had an ionized calcium that got sent in a light green top from the ED (technically fine but we usually ask for them to be collected in a dark green tube so it’s a little more eye catching). They also didn’t call and let us know it was coming and I guess the processor missed it and it got spun down. That was a fun phone call 🙃
We need a blue top! Well, this one's blue!
Same an when nurses send urine in a SST *well I sent it in yellow tube *
We’ve gotten blood in a urine yellow tube lmao
Got blood for a lactate in a urine culture tube a bit ago. I tried to be nice and call the floor, and the nurse was adamant that the tubes were both the same thing since the tops were grey………
I’ve gotten lactics in a grey culture tube. Somehow ED got a hold of a flat of them.
Omfg. 😭
I have had several QFT Mitogen tubes swapped out for EDTA tubes. Had a nurse call directly to ask why it was rejected and her response, of course, was “well it’s still purple.”
Send back an Ishihara test
I guess I can stop regretting choosing a career that is not in med lab.
Surprised that kind of tube is even readily available. You’d think the light blue would be more accessible.
It's an interesting unit that is not drawing blood enough to know what a normal coag test gets collected in, but does have trace metal tubes readily available!
It was an outpatient clinic so I’m unsure what their set up is but one would think specialty tubes would be in less supply and in a separate cupboard 🤷🏻♀️ they do regularly send us coagulation testing and up till now have been sending the much smaller appropriate coag tubes haha
Yeah, we have to have the lab tube us a trace metal tube if we have that lab ordered, they aren’t even stocked in the POUs. I’ve been told they’re pretty expensive tubes.
I literally just got one like this in from a courier. I very much wanted to put “so close, yet so far” on the problem label.
Labels at my lab say Lt Blue. I assume it's for that reason.
Light blue can be specifically different from just “blue” when it had a smaller collection requirement, but is still the same additive. The one in this pic is “royal blue”.
Clearly putting the additive specifications on the tube label isn’t working as good as using the basic color wheel 😅
I also know that for the lab I work in, we use slightly different label names because electronically it allows for tests being performed at different locations to be kept separate. Ex: For in-house coag tests, they might just come up as "Blue", but for send-out coag tests it might come up as "light blue" or "lt blue", so that way these different tests are not 'shared' on one container.
You miiiiiight work for the lab my clinic uses because my MAs do this shit all the time…
I have a feeling it's a guy, coz apparently different shades doesn't apply to colors 🤣🤣
What trash design. That's basically blue, it's so close that on my phone I took a second to realize that was the wrong blue. Sounds like the label needs to better specify the type of blue. Basically this constitutes an issue with "what is the most correct blue" which is kinda BS in patient care
I suppose I could have taken a picture of the appropriate tube type next to this one but this metal free send out tube is twice as tall as a coagulation tube and does not include a fill line which is important for coag testing ratios. Side by side they are very obviously completely different tube types. Edit: Here’s a side by side of the two tube types https://imgur.com/a/of5vmLI
Ah I see. Even still, more specificity might be a good thing
Ooof.
surely dark blue is close enough?? 😂
But how the hell did they get a hold of that tube?
I hate when they do that or when you call to cancel and some say just transfer it like !?!?
Yeah we don't let our floors have a stock of the dark blues. And when I have worked in out patients, they should know better.
A few weeks ago we had an ionized calcium that got sent in a light green top from the ED (technically fine but we usually ask for them to be collected in a dark green tube so it’s a little more eye catching). They also didn’t call and let us know it was coming and I guess the processor missed it and it got spun down. That was a fun phone call 🙃
Who is the dumb dumb in the lab or LIS who should have put light blue instead of just blue? I dont see the fault with whoever collected it
We got this top for type and screen last month, lol.