PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Behan, Kristina Jackson
AU  - Johnston, Michael
AU  - Dumas, Marcia
TI  - Sedimentation by Gravity Stabilizes Plasma Glucose for Up to 60 Minutes
AID  - 10.29074/ascls.26.3.158
DP  - 2013 Jul 01
TA  - American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science
PG  - 158--161
VI  - 26
IP  - 3
4099  - http://hwmaint.clsjournal.ascls.org/content/26/3/158.short
4100  - http://hwmaint.clsjournal.ascls.org/content/26/3/158.full
SO  - Clin Lab Sci2013 Jul 01; 26
AB  - Objective: Glucose levels decrease in whole blood in vitro, but there are several methods that minimize the loss, including special tubes and ice. This study evaluated whether sedimentation by gravity in an upright position was a viable alternative.Design: Lithium heparinized blood was collected from 20 individuals without a diagnosis of diabetes. The samples were allowed to sediment at ambient temperature and were tested in quadruplicate at 30 minute intervals. A Repeated Measures ANOVA compared the means of each time-point.Results: Plasma glucose results were not statistically different between 30 minutes and 60 minutes after collection (p = 0.156). At 90 minutes after collection, glucose was significantly different than the initial glucose readings (p <0.001). Each reading thereafter also showed a statistically significant difference from the initial reading.Conclusions: Samples for glucose measurement are stable in lithium heparin for no longer than 60 minutes when held in an upright position prior to centrifugation.ABBREVIATIONS: GDM - Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, OGTT - Oral glucose tolerance test