Specimen Requirements
Minimum specimen volume from SST or Red Top:
2-24 allergens: 2.0 mL serum
25-40 allergens: 4.0 mL serum
Supplies for Submission
SST/Gold Top (2); alternately Red Top (2)
Specimen Collection
- Label serum separator tube (SST) with two identifiers. Acceptable identifiers include patient’s name, date of birth, social security number, requisition number, and medical record number.
- Allow SST contents to clot in an upright position for at least 30 minutes (60 minutes for Red Top tube).
- SST specimen - centrifuge within 2 hours of collection and refrigerate.
- Red Top specimen - centrifuge within 2 hours of collection, transfer serum to a plastic transport tube labelled appropriately and as Red Top serum, and refrigerate.
Storage Requirements
Refrigerated.
Specimens are stable if refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for 1 month.