5 Reasons Why Your Blood Sample May Be Rejected in the Lab
Have you ever had your blood drawn, only to be told that you need to have it collected again? It can be frustrating to hear that your blood sample needs to be recollected, especially when you already went through the process of getting your blood drawn. But there are actually several reasons why a laboratory may reject a specimen. As a Medical Laboratory Technologist (MLT) working in Hematology, these are some of the common reasons I see. 1. NSQ <Not Sufficient (or insufficient) Quantity> One of the simplest reasons a specimen may be rejected is that there isn't enough blood in the tube . Every test requires a certain amount of specimen. If there isn't enough, the laboratory may not be able to perform the test accurately. For some tests, the amount of blood in the tube is especially important because the blood-to-anticoagulant ratio needs to be correct to produce a reliable result. For example, coagulation tubes MUST be filled to the line indicated on the tube . ...
