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Phlebotomy Exam Prep 12, Sodium Citrate (Light Blue) Tube — Coag Testing
Published 2 weeks, 6 days ago
Description
This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.
In this episode you will learn:
- The light blue (sodium citrate) tube requires a precise 9:1 blood-to-anticoagulant ratio for accurate coagulation testing.
- Underfilling a light blue tube creates an excess of anticoagulant, which leads to falsely prolonged clotting times and an artificially elevated INR.
- Key coagulation tests performed using the light blue tube include PT/INR, PTT/aPTT, fibrinogen, and D-dimer.
- A discard tube is mandatory when using a butterfly (winged infusion) set if the light blue tube is the first or only tube drawn, in order to purge air from the tubing and ensure a full draw.
- The mnemonic "Blue's Clues: Nine to one or the test is done" is a helpful way to remember the critical fill ratio.
For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep