Basingstoke and north hampshire hospital pathology user handbook

HAEMATOLOGY AND BLOOD TRANSFUSION

Haematology Section
The haematology section provides a clinical diagnostic and therapeutic monitoring service, covering haematology coagulation and anticoagulation services
Coagulation services


The laboratory provides a comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic monitoring service for haemostasis and thrombotic disorders and services a designated haemophilia comprehensive care centre.
Requests are examined to ensure appropriate tests are performed and additional specialised tests added when indicated. It is therefore essential that appropriate clinical details are provided on the request form to facilitate this. Please do not hesitate to contact the laboratory for scientific or clinical advice.
Samples
It is essential that the correct specimen container is used with correct volume of blood. This is to ensure the correct blood-to-anticoagulant ratio. The standard Vacuette bottle in use for coagulation tests requires the addition of 3.0 ml blood to give a final volume of 3.5 ml. Please only use Vacuette needles and let the tube fill until it stops naturally. Do not fill with needle and syringe. A special 1.0 ml bottle can be requested and made up in the laboratory for paediatric samples when the larger blood volume cannot be obtained; however, there may be insufficient volume to provide all necessary tests.
Please note: tests for haemostasis or thrombosis WILL NOT be performed on under-filled, over-filled, haemolysed, clotted specimens or unlabelled or incorrectly labelled specimens.
NB: Phlebotomy tuition and/or practice is available in the laboratory bleeding area by prior appointment.
Routine samples should be transported to the laboratory as soon as possible, but within 4 hours at most. Requests for retrospective testing on blood samples is not recommended but will be considered if the request is made within 12 hours of sample collection.
Patients for platelet function testing need to be bled in the laboratory. This test is performed by appointment.
Samples for investigations of bleeding and thrombotic disorders should ideally be taken in the laboratory to enable rapid freezing and processing of sample as appropriate.