Comparison of Various Blood Vacuum Tubes Brand for Clinical Chemistry, Hormonal, Hematology, and Hemostasis Parameters

Background: Laboratory tests are integral to the medical decision-making process. Blood vacuum tubes need to be validated to increase the analytics quality. This study aimed to compare various vacuum tube brands that use serum clot activator and serum separator tube (SST) for clinical chemistry and hormonal parameters, K3EDTA anticoagulant for hematological parameters, and citrate for hemostasis parameters. Methods: The comparative study was carried out cross-sectional in the Department of Clinical Pathology, Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo National Public Hospital, on June 20, 2020. There were 20 subjects for each type of tube. The control tube was BD Vacutainer®, and the test tubes were Samplix®, VACUETTE®, Vacusera®, and YCHD. Results: Underfilling was the most common problem in preanalytical observation. This problem for citrate tubes was most frequently found in Vacusera® tubes. The possible cause of underfilling is the expiration date, which was close to the date of the experiment. There was a significant difference in PT results (p <0.0001) in the Vacusera® citrate tube. All tube brands had no significant differences in all clinical chemistry, hormonal, and hematological parameters (P>0.05). After 24 hours at room temperature, the results of hematological parameters showed statistically significant differences in MCV and hematocrit parameters, while other parameters were still within the CV limit of the instrument. Conclusion: There were no significant differences in the results of clinical chemistry, hormonal, and hematological parameters for all tube brands. A hematology parameters test should be done immediately as the delay may affect the MCV and hematocrit parameters.