NHA Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT)Specimen HandlingMedium
A phlebotomy technician is preparing to send a specimen for a cold agglutinin test. Which of the following is the correct handling procedure during transport?
- ATransport the specimen at body temperature (37°C) to prevent agglutination.
- BTransport the specimen at room temperature (20-25°C) to maintain stability.
- CCentrifuge the specimen immediately and transport the serum chilled.
- DTransport the specimen on ice to inhibit agglutination.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Transport the specimen at body temperature (37°C) to prevent agglutination.
Cold agglutinins are antibodies that react at colder temperatures, causing red blood cells to clump together. To prevent this reaction and ensure accurate results, the specimen must be kept warm, typically at body temperature (37°C), during transport.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Room temperature might still be cool enough for some agglutination to occur, making it less ideal than 37°C.
- C. Centrifuging and chilling would exacerbate the agglutination problem for cold agglutinins.
- D. Transporting on ice would promote agglutination, leading to inaccurate results.
Cold Agglutinin Handling
Specimens for cold agglutinin tests must be kept warm (37°C) during and after collection to prevent the antibodies from reacting with red blood cells at colder temperatures, which would lead to false results.
- Collect in a pre-warmed tube.
- Transport at 37°C.
- Do not refrigerate.
Memory trick: Cold Agglutinin: Keep it Warm, not Chilly.