Collect
Collect in a plain red top or SST tube.
Specimen Preparation
Onsite [NJH]: Transport to lab within 1 hour.
Offsite: Separate serum from cells within 2 hours by centrifuge and aliquot into a labeled polypropylene or similar plastic tube.
Preferred volume: 1 mL serum
Pediatric Collection
Minimum Volume: 0.5mL serum
Unacceptable Conditions
Plasma, lipemic, grossly hemolyzed, microbially contaminated specimens, or specimens with visible particulates should not be used.
Storage Transport Temp
Offsite: Send frozen serum Priority Overnight via FedEx and in a well insulated container on dry ice.
Stability
Stability after cell separation:
8 hours at room temperature
24 hours refrigerated at 2-8°C
>24 hours frozen at -20°C
Notes
Samples may be sent by the laboratory to University of Florida Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Laboratory for confirmation of unusual phenotypes.