Cryoglobulin, cryofibrinogen, and cold agglutinin specimens must be kept at or near body temperature. Lactic acid, ammonia, and glucagon specimens require chilling.

Applying a gauze pressure dressing is an appropriate method of applying pressure to stop bleeding after venipuncture in the antecubital area. The patient should be advised to keep the dressing in place for at least 15 minutes. Direct pressure may be applied for a few minutes by the patient (if monitored) or by the phlebotomist. Cotton and rayon balls should not be used to apply pressure to the venipuncture site because they may stick to the wound and dislodge the platelet plug.

When conducting the urine dipstick test, the dipstick should be dipped into the urine and then withdrawn and tapped lightly on the side of the container to remove excess urine. Then, the dipstick should be held in a horizontal position so that the urine on the dipstick pools and stays in contact with the reagents for the specified time period, usually ranging from 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on the type of dipstick Then, the dipstick is compared with a color chart to determine the results.

For a pediatric patient a 23-gauge needle with a 2-mL tube should be used for blood collection using a butterfly infusion set. Use of a 5-mL tube with a 23-gauge needle may cause vein collapse or hemolysis of the specimen.

If a coagulation test requires platelet-poor plasma, it is necessary to centrifuge the specimen, use a pipette to carefully remove three-quarters of the plasma at the surface (avoid pouring), place it into an aliquot tube, and then centrifuge the aliquot tube to separate any remaining cells. Then, the plasma from the second centrifugation is transferred via a new pipette into another new tube for testing. Because platelets contain clotting factors, it is essential to remove platelets before carrying out the tests. Platelet-poor plasma should have fewer than 10,000 platelets/ PL.