Specimen Requirements for the Haemostasis Laboratory

Sample integrity is one of the most important details to consider for the production of quality results in the laboratory. Many factors have the potential to adversely affect the sample: intrinsic patient characteristics (caused by the underlying malady and/or treatment, incorrect patient preparation, etc.), difficult or incorrectly performed collection of sample, correct timing of sample collection relative to drug administration, incorrect processing and transport within the laboratory—just to name a few. This chapter outlines standard common requirements with explanations as a basis for those limitations, and practical laboratory advice to attain and maintain dependable samples.