Blood specimen automated preparation

The clotting of blood in specimen collection tubes, their subsequent centrifugation, and the transfer of serum to secondary tubes require time to complete. When performed manually, it has been known to cause delays in the preparation of a specimen for analysis. Consequently, to eliminate the problems associated with specimen preparation, systems are being developed to automate this process. The following developments are noteworthy. 

When an assay system has been designed to analyze whole blood samples, specimen preparation time is essentially eliminated. Automated or semiautomated ion-selective electrodes, which measure ion activity in whole blood rather than ion concentration, have been incorporated into automated systems to provide certain test results within minutes of the drawing of a specimen. This approach is now commonly used for assaying electrolytes and some other common analytes. Another approach involves either manual or automated application of whole blood to dry reagent films and visual or instrumental observation of a quantitative change. This approach is exemplified by the Reflotron Plus. 

The MagNA Pure LC Instrument allows automated isolation and preparation of nucleic acids. The instrument performs up to 32 nucleic acid isolations in 1 to 3 hours from various specimens, which can include blood, blood cells, culture cells, plasma, serum, sputum, stool, broncho-alveolar lavage, plant tissues, or food products. 

---