If you have ever gone through the process of taking a blood test, you must be familiar with vacutainers. Vacutainers are the blood collection tubes that are employed to draw a blood sample without spillage. During use, these vacutainers are attached with a double-sided needle which sucks the fluid out of the vein and fills it into the tube. During this process, the strong closure system of the vacutainers ensures the safety of the healthcare staff. There are several types of vacutainers all of which differ in their contents and thus their uses.
Let us go through all the different types of vacutainers and learn how they differ in terms of their additives as well as applications.
Types of Vacutainers
Depending upon the type of blood tests to be conducted, the following types of vacutainers are available to select from:
1. Light Blue Vacutainer Tubes
Light blue vacutainers have an anticoagulant i.e. sodium citrate as their additive at a concentration of 3.2%. Their use in the estimation of prothrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT), as well as partial thromboplastin time (PTT) is extensive.
2. Plain Red Vacutainer Tubes
Plain red vacutainers have no additives in them. These are simply used for serological examination which includes total serum complementary activity.
3. Gold Vacutainer Tubes
Gold or red and grey tiger-topped vacutainers contain clot activator and serum separating gel. These serum tubes are known for their application in endocrine as well as serological tests particularly those associated with hepatitis and HIV.
4. Orange Vacutainer Tubes
Orange vacutainers have serum-separating gel as well as clot activators in them. These tubes are useful for rapid serum separation.
5. Dark Green Vacutainer Tubes
These dark green vacutainer tubes are loaded with sodium heparin which acts as an anticoagulant. It prevents the blood sample from coagulating by restricting the fibrinogen protein in the blood from getting activated. As a result, the clot-forming fibrin is not formed and the blood remains in a liquid state.
Dark green vacutainers are ideal for chromosome testing. In addition, their use in human leukocyte antigen or HLA typing and ammonia as well as lactate estimation is prominent.
6. Light Green Vacutainer Tubes
Light green vacutainers have lithium heparin in them as their additive. These work similarly to the way the dark green vacutainers do. Heparin tubes are employed for performing tests for insulin and ammonia estimation.
7. Lavender Vacutainer Tubes
These types of vacutainers have ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid as their additive which is commonly known as EDTA. When a blood sample is taken in the tube, EDTA prevents it from coagulation for at least 4 hours. This time period can also be increased up to several days if the tube is put into the freezer.
These EDTA tubes help conduct tests like HbA1C, red cell folate, and complete blood count (CBC). In addition, their use in parathyroid hormone estimation is also well-established.
8. Pink Vacutainer Tubes
Pink vacutainers contain EDTA in them. These types of vacutainers are ideal for blood typing and for estimation of viral load especially in the case of HIV. In addition, these pink vacutainers are also helpful for conducting Coomb’s test.
9. Royal Blue or Navy Vacutainer Tubes
The royal blue or navy vacutainers or coagulation tubes are loaded with sodium citrate. These types of vacutainers are employed for performing the coagulation screening. Moreover, their use in toxicology studies is also pronounced in which the identification and quantification of trace elements as well as heavy metals is performed.
10. Tan Vacutainer Tubes
These types of vacutainers have sodium EDTA as their additive and are employed for the estimation of lead in the blood.
11. Grey Vacutainer Tubes
Grey vacutainers have sodium fluoride and potassium oxalate in them. These help conduct the glucose and lactate assay. Moreover, these types of vacutainers are also helpful for the estimation of glucose in the blood samples.
12. Yellow Vacutainer Tubes
Yellow vacutainers or serum-separating tubes contain acid-citrate-dextrose which hinders blood coagulation as soon as the sample is loaded. These are useful for DNA studies, HIV cultures, as well as tissue typing.
13. Pearlescent White Vacutainer Tubes
Pearl white vacutainers are loaded with EDTA as well as separating gel and find application in toxoplasma, HHV-6, and adenoviruses identification in the blood sample by polymerase chain reaction or PCR.
14. Black Vacutainer Tubes
Black vacutainers are also called ESR tubes. Their diameter is also thinner than all of the other types of vacutainers. Their additive is sodium citrate and the purpose of the tube is the estimation of ESR in blood samples collected from pediatric patients.
Types of Vacutainers: Summary
The following table summarizes the types of vacutainers along with their respective additives:
| Types of Vacutainers | Additive(s) |
| Light Blue | Sodium citrate |
| Red | No additives |
| Gold (or Red and Grey Tiger Top) | Clot activator and serum-separating gel |
| Orange | Clot activator and serum-separating gel |
| Dark Green | Sodium heparin |
| Light Green | Lithium heparin and plasma separating gel |
| Lavender | EDTA |
| Pink | K2 EDTA |
| Royal Blue or Navy | EDTA |
| Tan | Sodium EDTA |
| Grey | Sodium fluoride |
| Yellow | Acid citrate dextrose |
| Pearlescent White | EDTA and separating gel |
| Black | Sodium citrate |
Different Types of Vacutainers at Health Supply 770: Products and Specifications
Vacutainers are one of the most used medical consumables in healthcare facilities. Due to their vast utilization, many different types of vacutainers are manufactured and marketed by BD Medical. Some of these products are available at Health Supply 770 at the most affordable prices. The following section focuses on these products, their descriptions, and prices along with their purchase links:
BD 367886 Vacutainer Heparin Venous Blood Collection Tubes
$565.88 (Per case or for a 1000 pieces)
Product Details
BD 367886 vacutainer heparin-based venous blood collection tubes manufactured and marketed by BD Medical have lithium heparin as their additive. These venous blood collection tubes are made up of plastic which reduces the chances of breakage.
Furthermore, to reduce the risk of spillage, these BD vacutainers come with a Hemogard closure system which involves a silicone-coated closure to seal the mouth of the tubes perfectly.
The dimensions of these heparin blood collection tubes are 13 x 100 mm and they are sterilized before marketing. Their clear appearance due to the use of plastic as a construction material enables healthcare providers to examine the contents clearly. Moreover, the capacity of the tube is 6 ml.
BD 362760 Vacutainer CPT Molecular Diagnostic Tubes
$899.88 (Per case or for 60 pieces)
Product Details
BD 362760 vacutainer CPT molecular diagnostic tubes are sterile and equipped with diagnostic additives which include sodium citrate and a separating gel. The concentration of sodium citrate in the tube is 0.45 ml. The tube has the dimensions of 13 x 100 ml and can hold up to 4 ml of the sample. The closure system is the black mottled conventional system and the construction material of the tube is glass.
These tubes come in handy to obtain highly concentrated mononuclear blood cells. In addition, their use is extensive in examining plasma for immunotyping, cell function studies, and culture analysis, as well as for testing the gene amplification methods.
BD 367863 Medical Vacutainer EDTA Tubes
$346.88 (Per case or for a 1000 pieces)
Product Details
BD 367863 medical vacutainer EDTA tubes have K2 EDTA as their additive in the concentration of 10.8 mg. The dimensions of the tubes are 13 x 100 mm and their capacity for the sample is up to 6 ml. These BD vacutainer spray-coated EDTA blood collection tubes are ideal for whole blood hematology determination.
Moreover, their use in blood donor screening as well as in immunohematology testing is also well-established. The closure system is also Hemogard which guarantees spill protection and increases the safety of the healthcare staff.
BD 368380 Vacutainer SPC Plus Venous Blood Collection Tubes
$559.88 (Per case or for a 1000 pieces)
Product Details
BD 368380 vacutainer SPC plus venous blood collection tubes are filled with clot activator additives. The dimensions of the tubes are 13 x 100 mm and these can hold a sample of up to 6 ml. The Hemogard closure system protects the contents of the tubes from spilling.
Moreover, these closures are coated with silicone which further enhances the seal of the tube cap. The construction material of the tube is plastic which is strong and clear in appearance. In addition, the product comes in a completely sterile form.
BD 367856 Vacutainer Plus Tube Ven
$89.88 (Per case or for 1000 pieces)
Product Details
BD 367856 vacutainer plus tube ven has a capacity of 3 ml and the dimensions of the tube are 13 x 75 mm. The additive in the tubes is K2 EDTA which has a concentration of 5.4 mg. Its lavender-colored Hemogard closure ensures maximum protection against spillage and enhances the safety of healthcare providers.
These BD 367856 vacutainer plus tubes are ideal for collecting blood samples for the purpose of whole-blood hematology.
In addition, tests like blood donor screening as well as immunohematology also use these BD vacutainer tubes.
BD 367844 Vacutainer Venous Whole Blood Collection Tubes
$525.88 (Per case or for a 1000 pieces)
Product Details
BD 367844 vacutainer venous whole blood collection tubes come with the dimensions of 13 x 75 mm. The chemical additives added into these tubes include K2 EDTA. The sample capacity of these BD vacutainers is up to 4 ml. The lavender-colored closure system is conventional but extremely strong and spill-proof. The product is sterile and is made up of plastic which is clear and of good quality.
BD 364816 Vacutainer Venous Blood Collection Tubes
$1,155.88 (Per case or for a 1000 pieces)
Product Details
BD 364816 vacutainer venous blood collection tubes have ACD solution B additive in them as their chemical reagent. These tubes are affixed with the conventional closure systems which are strong, trustable, and leak-proof. In addition, these silicone-coated yellow closures also ensure the restriction against droplets of blood samples which might come in the air and put the healthcare provider at risk.
The construction material is glass and the product is sterile. The overall capacity of the BD 364816 vacutainer venous blood collection tubes is up to 6 ml and the tubes have the dimensions of 13 x 100 mm.
*Note: The prices mentioned in the article are taken from the Health Supply 770 website. These may vary over time.
All types of vacutainers mentioned in the article, along with many other medical supplies, can be purchased from Health Supply 770, a reliable name when it comes to medical products. They have a 30-day money-back guarantee and provide your products to you in the shortest possible time. Click the links given in the article to check out the wide range of vacutainers.
Takeaway
Vacutainers are essential when it comes to taking a blood sample. These are attached with a needle which draws the blood from the veins. The vacuum generated by the vacutainer ensures that the blood sample does not spill during or after the sample is drawn.
Many types of vacutainers are available in the US market. All of these differ in terms of their contents, chemistry, and therefore, their uses. To differentiate these types of vacutainers, a specific color has been assigned to each kind of tube closure.
Considering their vast application, the healthcare facilities and testing laboratories must have an ample stock of the product. For purchasing different types of vacutainers, reliable vendors like Health Supply 770 should be approached. They ensure the provision of quality products along with satisfactory services.
PhD Scholar (Pharmaceutics), MPhil (Pharmaceutics), Pharm D, B. Sc.
Uzma Zafar is a dedicated and highly motivated pharmaceutical professional currently pursuing her PhD in Pharmaceutics at the Punjab University College of Pharmacy, University of the Punjab. With a comprehensive academic and research background, Uzma has consistently excelled in her studies, securing first division throughout her educational journey.
Uzma’s passion for the pharmaceutical field is evident from her active engagement during her Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D) program, where she not only mastered industrial techniques and clinical case studies but also delved into marketing strategies and management skills.
