What should you do immediately after collecting blood into a tube with an additive?

Inverting the tube immediately after collecting blood into one that contains an additive is crucial for ensuring proper mixing of the additive with the specimen. This step helps to prevent clot formation and ensures that the anticoagulants or preservatives in the additive均分 throughout the sample. Depending on the type of additive in the tube—such as anticoagulants or gel separators—thorough mixing is necessary to maintain the integrity of the sample for accurate laboratory analysis.

Storing the tube in the refrigerator or leaving it upright for an extended period may compromise the results by allowing some additives to settle or the blood components to separate. Transferring to another tube can introduce the risk of additional contamination and may alter the composition of the sample, especially if not performed aseptically. Hence, the immediate action of inverting the tube ensures the reliability of subsequent testing and analysis.