Laboratory of Pathology

Specimen Collection, Transport Media and Delivery

IMPORTANT!! Flow Cytometry aliquot must be FIXATIVE-FREE i.e. no formalin, no B5 fixative, no alcohol, etc. Fixation will cause cell death and is not reversible.

Specimen delivery cutoff time is 1 p.m. Monday – Friday workdays (no weekends or holidays).

Go to "After Working Hours" for alternate instructions.

Deliver to Room 3S240 / 3S238 Magnuson Center:  Blood, bone marrow, CSF, FNAs, fluid or other cell suspensions at room temperature (20 - 25C). Deliver frozen cells on dry ice.  (Do NOT place any specimen type other than blood or bone marrow in the flow cytometry drop box.)

Peripheral Blood Sodium Heparin vacutainers, Collection & Delivery

• Enter “Flow Cytometry, Blood” order in CRIS
• 18ml blood in three (3) 6ml sodium heparin green top vacutainer tubes. 
• For Absolute Lymph count < 1.0 K / uL, collect an additional 20-30ml. 
• Print labels using positive patient ID procedures (mobile SoftID station and printed Collection Label).
• Attach Collection Label (patient full name, unique identifier, date, “Peripheral Blood" or code FLOWB).
• Deliver STAT or call Escort STAT pickup and delivery to 3S240 / 3S238 at room temperature, no cold packs.

Bone Marrow aspirate Heparinized Syringe, Collection & Delivery

See also BM Aspirate collection instructions

• Go to scheduling.com to schedule BM aspirate collection.
• Enter “Flow Cytometry, Blood” order in CRIS.
• Before collection, get sodium heparinized syringe from the Pharmacy for BM aspirate collection.
• The fellow or assisting nurse must aspirate 3 - 5ml BM aspirate IMMEDIATELY into the heparinized syringe.
  Tip: Aspirate a small air bubble into syringe, cap syringe and use bubble to mix well by inverting 5 times.

• Print labels using positive patient ID procedures (mobile SoftID station and printed Collection Label).
• Attach Collection Label (patient full name, unique identifier, date, “BONE MARROW" or code FLOWM).
• Deliver STAT or call Escort STAT pickup and delivery to 3S240 /3S238 at room temperature, no cold packs.

Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF) Transport media, Collection & Delivery

• Enter “Flow Cytometry, CSF” order in CRIS.

Before collection, get Flow CSF transport media tube:

• • 15ml conical tube:  Pink solution, blue cap, green label 
  • Pick up from CCR 3SW North Procedure Unit or 3SE South Day Hospital; or
  • Flow Cytometry Lab 3S240 / 3S238, Magnuson Center (call ahead 301-480-7179 or 301-480-8074).
•  
  • The fellow or assisting nurse must dispense 3 - 4ml CSF IMMEDIATELY into the CSF transport media.
  • Cap the tube and invert 5 times to mix well. 
    IMPORTANT:  Label / Deliver specimen STAT.  Half of cells are lost within hours without media.
•  
  • Collect using positive patient ID procedures (mobile SoftID station and printed Collection Label).
  • Attach Collection Label (patient full name, unique identifier, date, “CSF” or code FLOWC).
  • Deliver STAT or call Escort STAT pickup and delivery to 3S240 / 3S238 at room temperature, no cold packs.

Non-CSF Fluid, Fine Needle Aspirate or LN / Tissue Biopsy Triage in Cytopathology

See also Flow Cytometry, Other

1. All non-CSF fluids, FNAs and LN/tissue biopsies: 

• Enter “Flow Cytometry, Other” order in CRIS noting the specimen and source.
• Deliver specimen labeled with Flow Cytometry label to Flow Cytometry 3S240 / 3S238.

IMPORTANT!! Flow Cytometry aliquot must be FIXATIVE-FREE i.e. no formalin, no B5 fixative, no alcohol, etc. Fixation will cause cell death and is not reversible.

2. Specimen volume < 10mL

            Before collection, get Flow CSF transport media tube:

• 15ml conical tube: Pink solution, blue cap, green label 
• Pick up from CCR 3SW North Procedure Unit or 3SE South Day Hospital; or
• Flow Cytometry Lab 3S240, Manguson Center (call ahead 301-480-7179 or 301-480-8074).

• The fellow or assisting nurse must dispense 3 - 4ml of collected specimen IMMEDIATELY into the CSF transport media.
• Cap the tube and invert 5 times to mix well. 
  IMPORTANT:  Label / Deliver specimen STAT or call Escort STAT pickup and delivery to LP Flow Cytometry.  Half of cells are lost within hours without media.

• Print labels using positive patient ID procedures (mobile SoftID station and printed Collection Label).
• Attach Collection Label (patient full name, unique identifier, date, “<source>” or code FLOWO).
• Deliver STAT or call Escort STAT pickup and delivery to 3S240 / 3S238 at room temperature, no cold packs.

3.Specimen volume > 10mL

            Before collection, get plain container with sufficient volume for the specimen to be submitted:

• The fellow or assisting nurse must dispense the collected specimen into the plain container.
• Cap the container and seal for transport.
  IMPORTANT:  Label / Deliver specimen STAT or call Escort STAT pickup and delivery to LP Flow Cytometry.  Half of cells are lost within hours without media.

• Print labels using positive patient ID procedures (mobile SoftID station and printed Collection Label).
• Attach Collection Label (patient full name, unique identifier, date, “<source>” and code FLOWO).
• Deliver STAT or call Escort STAT pickup and delivery to 3S240 / 3S238 at room temperature, no cold packs.

Flow Cytometry Specimen Turnaround Time Policy

Flow Cytometry Clinical Services

Specimen Ordering and Labeling

Specimen Rejection

Specimen Scheduling and Delivery

Specimen Transport Media and Delivery